


Sour Patch Kids

by kinoface



Series: SPK [2]
Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Aftercare, Alternate Universe - Sex Shop, Begging, Bondage, Consent Play, Deepthroating, Developing Relationship, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Gags, Getting Back Together, Kink Negotiation, M/M, Mild Painplay, Open Relationships, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Risk Aware Consensual Kink, Safe Sane and Consensual, Safewords, Sex Toys, Tickling, Top Drop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-08-10 21:03:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 31,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20141956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kinoface/pseuds/kinoface
Summary: Aiba convinces Nino to re-examine his relationship with Jun. Or: "You want a fight, tough guy? The floor is looking pretty dirty in here, and I make a hell of a mop."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Make Me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4836038) by [kinoface](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kinoface/pseuds/kinoface). 

> This fic was imagined over a thousand procrastinating afternoons and sleepless nights, plotted almost entirely and written halfway to completion when I should have been working on NinoEx 2016 (and if you've read [Shadows in Slow Motion](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7389364), I'm sure you'll be able to see some of the ways in which thinking about this fic influenced that one). When I first started writing it, it felt like it was pouring out of my brain, completely taking on a life of its own with me just sitting there trying to keep my fingers typing as quickly as the thoughts were forming... and then I went back to school to finish my degree, and then I had a kid, and then I started _another_ degree and took on half a dozen other academic projects, and although this idea was always in the back of my mind, I never had time to return to it. Now I'm a mom and a grad student and a researcher, about to be a teacher, and I knew that if I didn't get this thing out into the world before the summer was over, it would never happen.
> 
> AND SO: HERE IT IS.
> 
> Some notes:
> 
> 1\. This is in the same verse as [Make Me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4836038) and takes place a few months later. You don't need to read that one to understand this one, but I do recommend it because there are some minor references and callbacks, it adds context for the Aiba/Nino dynamic here, and it's only ~2,500 words so you can really just think of it as a prologue.
> 
> 2\. <strike>Currently this fic is mostly complete, the later chapters just need some finishing touches, so I'm posting them one at a time to make that task a little more manageable. I promise there won't be any huge gaps of time in between.</strike> DONE!
> 
> 3\. **Please, please, please heed the tags.** Everything here is explicitly consensual, but, like Make Me, it does revolve heavily around consent play (struggling, etc). As always, if that pings your nope radar, proceed with caution.
> 
> 4\. Thank you a million times over to Phrenk for her exceptional beta skills and for being her generally wonderful self. <3 Also thank you to cupcake4mafia who read parts of this in its early stage and offered some invaluable feedback (as well as the "this is funnier" line).
> 
> 5\. The alternate summary is from [this tweet](https://twitter.com/mikefossey/status/1141479963956264961) by @mikefossey. I was too delighted by it to not include it.
> 
> 6\. And, finally: ENJOY. <3
> 
> _Are you in? What's it gonna be?_  
_Don't roll with the punches_  
_Make it hard for me, baby_  
\- Deadmau5, "Sofi Needs a Ladder"

Last weekend, Aiba wagered that Nino couldn't get out of a standard hogtie in the time it would take to jerk him off, and Nino accepted because even with Aiba's sublimely nimble fingers to distract him, he's a pro at that shit. As a result of losing the bet, Aiba is treating him to lunch at their favorite ramen place — not much of a penalty considering Aiba usually pays for him anyway — and they're halfway through their meal when Aiba says out of the blue, "Hey, would it bother you if I told my boss about us?" When Nino looks up from his bowl, Aiba hastens to add, "I know it's none of his business, but I want to make sure he's okay with..." He pauses to think, like he has to choose the next words carefully, and says, "Me... playing with a customer."

Nino's been expecting this for weeks now. "Yeah, that's fine. I don't mind if J knows."

Aiba says, "Great!", and then the words sink in and his eyebrows shoot up. "Wait — _J_?"

Nino was pretty sure Aiba would figure it out eventually, but he's glad he didn't. This is funnier. "Oh, that," he says, waving his hand theatrically. "We're old pals, J and I. What, you think I shop there exclusively because of the prices? He definitely over-charges."

"He's never mentioned you before!"

"Does he talk about any of his other friends?"

Aiba considers this. "Well, I guess not..." Then he perks up like a dog sniffing out a treat. "How did you two meet? Are you _just_ friends?" He says it with a lopsided smile and waggling eyebrows that make his meaning absolutely clear.

"We're just friends _now_."

"I knew it!"

"You literally just found out we know each other."

"True," Aiba concedes, "but you don't know I haven't been thinking about it." He taps the side of his head with a grin. "I knew it before I knew I knew it." Before Nino can roll his eyes, Aiba reaches across the table to grasp his hands. "Nino. You have to tell me about it. Spare no detail."

Nino clicks his tongue as he pulls away. "I'll spare all the details I want." It's not only his story to tell, after all, and it's not an entirely pleasant one at that — but he can at least give Aiba a summary. "We started dating towards the end of high school, but obviously it didn't last. Really, it was a long time ago." _A long time ago_ is a bit of an understatement: to Nino, it feels like a whole lifetime ago, before he settled into his current routine of hooking up with an overly excitable sex shop employee, before Jun took over the store and became somewhat of a celebrity in the local scene.

Aiba is totally enraptured now. He reaches blindly for his drink, nearly missing the straw with his mouth, and takes a big gulp before asking, "What happened?"

Nino shrugs. "It was mostly experimentation. Eventually we started seeing other people."

Although it's not a lie, it's not the complete truth. There were definitely some serious feelings involved, the way anyone's first long-term relationship feels serious, but Nino recognizes now that those feelings were amplified by the struggle of being two wide-eyed, horny kids trying to navigate the brave new world of adulthood. As the years passed and their tastes grew more refined, those feelings shifted into the background, and Nino and Jun became less and less compatible until they inevitably reached a point where they knew they couldn't go any further together. They're still close friends, aided by the fact that being in so many of the same circles made it difficult to avoid each other even when they were in that awkward post-breakup period, but there's never been an urge to delve back into what they once had. To say that they're not at all involved in each other's sex lives isn't quite accurate, since so much of the scene is about public display, but display is the full extent of it. They'll share rides to parties or events, and sometimes they'll see each other play there, but they don't join in, and they certainly don't leave together at the end of the night.

Despite the glossed-over story, Aiba looks fascinated. "That's amazing!"

"Well, you learn something new every day."

Later, as they're walking to the train, Aiba asks, "Have you guys ever thought about hooking up again? It'd be super hot."

Nino's face scrunches up all on its own. "It'd be super _weird_. At this point he's more like my brother, or my irritating know-it-all best friend." Aiba laughs like he knows precisely what Nino is talking about. "Besides, I don't think it would work out. I'm pretty sure I'm not sophisticated enough for him."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, you know, he's all about the spectacle of it. He wants to put on a show, boss people around, pull out his whips and stuff. He's like, a _serious dom_. I bet he actually makes people call him 'sir.'"

"He does," Aiba says gravely. "One time he had me go to a convention with him to help work the booth, and he got invited to do this scene onstage... It was _intense_." He emphasizes the word as if it's only barely adequate to capture the memory.

"Exactly. I'm not into any of that fancy stuff. What you and I do, that's more my style."

Aiba makes a considering noise, nodding to himself as they enter the station. They swipe their cards and head for their line, and as they're waiting for the train, Aiba has a particular kind of smile on his face like he's been picturing Nino and Jun together the whole way. "Still," he says. "It'd be hot."

Nino smirks. "I'll let you know if anything changes."

They leave it there and pick up an earlier conversation about comic books — a much better topic for the crowded afternoon train — and when they get to Aiba's place, Aiba ties him up and fucks him over the bathroom counter until he can't see straight. They spend the rest of the evening on the couch, eating snacks and watching animal clips on YouTube. It's a good day.

x

But Nino can't stop thinking about what Aiba said: _It'd be hot._

On a purely aesthetic level, Nino can't help but agree. After all, there's a reason he and Jun started dating in the first place. Even as a gangly teenager, Jun was a catch, and every year it's like he gets exponentially more gorgeous — which is something Nino would never say to his face, or to anyone else's face for that matter. He has a reputation to uphold. Plus, it's not like he doesn't _appreciate_ what Jun does. He knows Jun is skilled and has earned his own reputation in their circles for being thorough, attentive, mean in all the right ways.

Nino's had some pretty mean partners over the years, and when he calls someone "mean," it's a compliment of the highest order. There was the guy who left him tied up in a dark closet for the better part of an evening, the guy who cuffed him to a chair and pretended to interrogate him for an hour before making him come so many times he could barely walk out the door afterwards, the guy who strapped him down so tight he couldn't budge an inch and then pulled out a collection of sounding rods... all good memories. But over the past few years, and entirely by chance, he's been finding himself with guys who are gentler — sweeter. Like Aiba-chan.

Nino loves playing with Aiba, is helplessly endeared by how silly and cheerful Aiba can be even when he's got Nino trussed up and begging to come. He has no regrets about their relationship whatsoever. At the same time, he feels like he has to hold back when they're together. He likes to fight, _hard_, and he worries that Aiba, as sweet as he is, doesn't have it in him to fight back the way Nino wants him to. In the months since they started hooking up, Nino has only recently dared to wiggle his way out of the simple ties Aiba's been putting him into, something he loves to do but learned to put on hold after too many other guys were frustrated to the point of never calling back.

He hasn't actually approached Aiba about it, which, he will admit, is his own fault, but something tells him Aiba is another gentle dude in the long line of gentle dudes Nino's been with. He's not _just_ another, because there are plenty of other things that keep Nino coming back to him, but still. That's how Nino's sex life has been going, and every now and then, he misses it going the other way.

That's where Jun could fit in.

Before, when they used to play around and experiment, they started by copying what they saw in movies and easily accessible porn, taking turns on each other to figure out what they liked and what they didn't. When they started testing the waters with bondage, it worked out nicely that Jun liked to be the one tying and Nino liked to be the one getting tied. Nino has done much more hardcore things since then, but he'll never forget that thrill of discovery: the first time Jun tied his wrists to the headboard with flimsy scarves they bought at the hundred-yen store, the first time Jun gagged him with duct tape and a wadded-up washcloth, the first time Jun held him down and Nino whispered up to him, _Pretend I don't want it._ No matter what came afterwards, Nino will always be grateful to Jun for opening that door and sending him down a path he hasn't once looked back from.

Pain, however, was a different story. They started with spanking and Jun took to it immediately, so Nino humored him for a while before finally deciding that he simply wasn't cut out for it. That might have been the first sign that their relationship wasn't going to last; Nino always suspected Jun was a little resentful that something he wanted so badly to explore further was something Nino had zero interest in, and when they parted ways, that was one of the first things Jun jumped into. Nino knows this because he went out to buy a pair of cuffs a few months later, in the very shop Jun would one day take over and make his own, and he saw Jun purchasing a wooden paddle as he chatted up the pretty young thing with long hair and a Kansai accent who was working the counter.

It had been long enough by that point that the sting had faded away. Nino was happy for him.

And since then, Jun's repertoire of physical punishment has grown by leaps and bounds. Nino has seen him make subs _bleed_, and afterwards they kissed his spotless Doc Martens and blubbered their gratitude into his shoelaces. Nino can't be that for Jun. They've both known this for a long time. He doesn't want to be tortured with pain, or follow a set of rules, or call someone by a pretentious title.

But the part of Jun that makes him so good at those things — that meanness, that clever cruelty, the quick wit it takes to size someone up and know exactly how to tear them down, and the thoughtful touch to make them love every second of it — maybe that's what Nino's been looking for.

x

The idea swirls around his brain relentlessly. On Thursday night, on the way home from his mind-numbing office job, he finally caves and shoots Jun a message. _Any plans this weekend?_ He tells himself it couldn't hurt to see what Jun's up to.

As it turns out, Jun is going to a play party at a club out in Saitama, so they agree to meet at his place and head there together. On Saturday Nino takes the train to Jun's and presses the buzzer incessantly until Jun lets him in with a pointed "Uuuuggghhhh" through the intercom.

At the door, Jun is wearing a bathrobe and has wet hair plastered over his forehead. "Give me ten minutes," he says, so Nino slips out of his shoes and settles in for a half-hour wait.

He swipes a beer from the fridge and plops down onto the living room couch, looking around idly. He's been here countless times before, but it still amazes him how easy it is for Jun to show off his kinky proclivities. His apartment hasn't been remodeled into a dungeon or anything — though it does have a spare bedroom that he creepily calls "the play room" — but signs of what he does are everywhere. He has posters on the walls for events he helped organize, notes left out on the table for some discussion panel he's participating in next month. Then there's the chair in the corner, the one he custom-ordered and paid an exorbitant price for so that it would fit his exacting standards; it looks ostensibly like a normal chair, functional if a bit stumpy, but its real purpose is to have subs bent over it and strapped in, putting their poor asses on display for whatever terror Jun feels like raining down on them. Functional or not, having it out here in the living room is pretty kinky in and of itself, Nino thinks.

Nino's not embarrassed about the things he's into, but he doesn't think he could ever show it off like that. For one thing, his sister comes over all the time to catch up, and that would be uncomfortable for both of them. He's pretty sure she must at least suspect something after that one super awkward time he forgot to lock his bedroom door when they were both still living at their mom's place, and she and their mom both know he's gay, but he's more than happy to keep it at that. He wonders if Jun ever has his family over, and what he does with all this stuff when that happens.

Then again, Jun has a lot to be proud of. He's made quite a name for himself in the local scene by organizing meet-ups, participating in events, inviting experts to the shop to give lessons on things like ropework and safe pain play. It's as if the scene is everything to him, and sitting here soaking it all in makes Nino feel proud of him. He's happy to have this thoughtful, hard-working person in his life, and he's happy on Jun's behalf that so many other people see the same qualities in him that Nino always has.

That's another thing he would never say to any living person. God forbid it come back around to Jun so he could lord it over Nino's head for the rest of their lives.

It's one beer and twenty-seven minutes later — damn, he should've put money on it — when Jun emerges from the bedroom all dolled up. He looks like he's ready to jump into a scene right this second: sinfully tight leather pants, a collared shirt that could stand to have a few more buttons done up towards the top, hair coiffed to perfection. Jun tends to favor clothes that Nino would categorize as "grandpa chic" when he's just hanging around, but he sure knows how to dress for a night out. Looking at him reminds Nino why he's really here, but if his cheeks turn a little pink, Jun is too busy silently judging his outfit to notice. He looks Nino up and down, assessing his jeans and plaid shirt as if he didn't already see him at the door, but then he glances at his watch and apparently decides to let it pass.

In the car, Jun plugs in his phone and gets the GPS going, and Nino knows better than to talk while he's navigating the city streets looking for the right on-ramp. Once they're on their way, Jun is the one to speak up first.

"So, one of my employees tells me he's got a new boyfriend."

Nino nods, waiting for the rest of the story. Then he realizes Jun is talking about _him_. "I'm sorry, _boyfriend_?"

"I said the same thing! But Aiba-san definitely used the word 'dating.' Why, you don't agree?"

Nino frowns, but he's just thinking. "I guess I hadn't thought of it that way, but... I don't know, we mess around, we go out to eat, we lie around and watch movies."

"Pretty sure that's dating," Jun says, eyes on the road and a smug smile on his face.

Nino reaches across the center console to smack his thigh. "Don't look so pleased! You had no part in this."

"I'm just happy for you! It's been forever since you actually dated someone. I mean, not that it's necessary for a fulfilling life or anything, but I feel like it's good for you. You specifically."

"What's that supposed to mean, Jun-pon?"

"It means you have a great time sleeping around but you get all antsy when you go too long without someone to go home and cuddle."

"I do not _cuddle_," Nino cries, aghast. Jun is, of course, speaking from experience — he and Nino did their fair share of cuddling back in the day — but still. Nino's got that reputation to uphold.

Jun scoffs. "I'll be sure to ask Aiba-san what he thinks about that." A few beats pass, and then: "Are you guys exclusive?"

The question catches Nino off guard. Suddenly he feels weirdly guilty; he's here trying to see if it would be reasonable to have sex with Jun, and meanwhile Aiba is out there thinking they're _dating_. Nino will have to talk to him about it later. For now, he settles on "Not exactly."

"Cool," Jun says, nodding, completely non-judging. He drops it after that, perhaps sensing that Nino still has some shit to sort out, or maybe not wanting to know all that much about the combined love life of his best friend and one of his employees. Either way, Nino is grateful.

x

They make it to the club and head straight for the bar. There's a decent crowd, and they spend a few minutes sipping their drinks and scanning the sea of faces for anyone they recognize. Jun is in the middle of pointing out a guy he reduced to tears a few weeks back when a woman in a skintight latex dress approaches them. "Matsujun!"

Jun turns, already lighting up at the sound of her voice. "Ah, Hiyashi-san!"

He introduces them to each other, as formal as ever. It's odd to hear "Ninomiya" come out of his mouth when Nino is so used to Jun calling him Kazu.

"Just Nino," he corrects, bowing his head low enough to be polite. "Nice to meet you."

Jun gives him an elbow to the ribs, then says, "Hiyashi-san is one of the other speakers on the panel I'm doing next month."

She turns right back to Jun, ignoring Nino entirely. "Oh, I've been meaning to talk to you about that. I think I found someone we can bring in for all the technical details about the endorphins."

"That's great! Call me next week, we'll hash it out."

"You just made his day," Nino chimes in. "J loves hashing out technical details."

Hiyashi-san regards him with one coolly raised eyebrow, then says to Jun, "You should keep your boy in check."

Nino says "I am _not_ his boy" at the exact same time that Jun says "He is _not_ my boy."

Hiyashi-san smirks. "Okay, Matsujun. Anyway, I'll make sure to give you a call. Nice to meet you, Nino."

As she walks away, Jun turns back to Nino with the barest hint of a grimace on his face. "Sorry about that."

Nino shrugs it off. "Not a big deal." He gives Jun's butt a playful smack and says, "Now go out there and find yourself a real boy before someone else makes the same mistake."

Jun rolls his eyes, but he's smiling as he grabs his drink and heads out onto the floor.

Nino finds an empty spot at the bar and stays there for a while, observing the crowd, letting the occasional stranger offer him a drink. He didn't come out here with the intention of jumping into a scene or taking anyone home, but it's nice to chat, and he ends up in a conversation about hip hop, of all things, with a cute guy who introduces himself as Sho. They find a comfortable place to sit away from the bar and keep talking, nearly shouting to be heard over the noise. Their conversation shifts from music to politics and inevitably to kink. Sho describes himself as a "switch by day, service top by night," and one of his favorite things to do with clients is invent tie-up games with barely-fair time limits and creative punishments.

"For instance," he says, "last week I was with this guy who wanted to be bound and teased while he begged me to fuck him. So I tied him face-down with his hands behind his head and led the rope to the headboard behind him, and then I told him that if he could get free in ten minutes, I'd fuck him."

"And did he?"

"Not even close. When the timer went off, I untied the rope from the headboard, put a hook in his ass, and used the rope to tie the other end of the hook to his hands. I told him, 'The only way you're getting fucked tonight is if you do it yourself.'"

Nino breaks out into a grin. Going home with someone is starting to look like a good idea after all.

As they continue talking, Nino spots Jun across the floor where he's commanding his own crowd of admirers. There's half a dozen people gathered around him, all watching intently as he regales them with whatever tale he's spinning, but he's standing awfully close to one guy in particular — short, dressed about as casually as Nino is, with mousy brown hair that falls over his forehead.

Good for Jun.

Nino and Sho stick together for the rest of the night, drifting through several topics of conversation, occasionally pausing to watch one of the scenes going on in various corners of the club. One of them is an impressive flogging demonstration by none other than Hiyashi-san herself, who keeps up a running commentary about the importance of striking the same place over and over as she lays into the sub in front of her, his moans clearly audible over the ambient noise of the club.

For someone who's so diabolical with his tie-up games, Sho is surprisingly squeamish about the flogging. "I don't think I could do that," he says, laughing as they watch Hiyashi-san bring the flogger down onto her sub's back for what seems like the millionth time.

"Yeah," Nino agrees, "pain's not really my thing either."

They share a glance, and Sho's smile is so damn cute that Nino has to hide his own grin behind his hand.

It's a few hours before Jun meets up with him again, still with that same short guy from before. Jun tells him, "I'm heading out soon. You need a ride?"

Nino looks over to Sho, who says, "I can take you home." The offer for more goes unsaid but is clear as day.

As Jun introduces himself to Sho, Nino gets a better look at the guy he's with. He looks sleepy, or maybe he's one of those people who switches into sub space at the drop of a hat and simply being in Jun's presence has him there already.

Nino thinks it as a joke, but then he notices Jun's hand wrapped around the back of the guy's neck in a way that would look bizarrely controlling almost anywhere else. Here in this club, though — and, Nino assumes, in Jun's "play room" later tonight — that kind of casual dominance fits right in. Maybe this guy really is already chin-deep in sub space.

Sho and Nino keep chatting after Jun leaves, but when Sho suggests they head out, that weird guilty feeling comes creeping back. Nino imagines Sho in his bed, where Aiba was two nights ago, and can't bring himself to make it happen.

"Actually, uh... I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking about it before, but I'm kind of seeing this guy, and we haven't had the whole 'other people' talk yet..."

"I understand," Sho says, and the tone of his voice tells Nino that he's sincere. "No worries."

"Let me get your email though," Nino suggests, already pulling out his phone. Sho seems like an excellent candidate for some future hook-ups.

They trade contact information, and Sho walks him outside to keep him company while he waits for a cab. He sends Nino off with a dorky wink and tells him, "I hope things work out with the guy you're seeing," so Nino doesn't feel too bad about it. Sho's sweet. He'll find someone else to go home with if he wants to.

In the cab, he notices a message from Jun on his phone: _Send me his info. If I don't hear from you by morning I'm calling the cops._

Nino is smiling as he taps out his reply. _Don't worry, taking a cab. Thanks for your concern though._

His phone buzzes again only a few moments later. _That sucks. Sorry it didn't work out._

_Aren't you driving??? And send me your boy's info too. If I don't hear from you by morning I'm calling the cops._

He gets a laughing emoji in response, followed by an email address, a phone number, and the words _I'm Ohno Satoshi, please favor me~~~_

Nino snorts. They're not even home yet and Jun's already got the guy doing tasks for him.

He puts his phone away, relaxes against the seat, and settles in for the drive. It's a long ride home, and although Nino left Sho back at the club, his mind inevitably wanders back to the story Sho told him — to an image of himself, tied down and begging Sho to fuck him — but with those thoughts, just as inevitably, come thoughts of Aiba. The guilt nags at him until he pulls his phone back out to ask, _Are we exclusive?_

He doesn't hear anything for the rest of the ride, but when he gets out of the shower back at home, a new message is waiting for him. _Up to you. :)_

Ah, the dreaded smiley face. It could mean Aiba is sincere, or it could be a cover-up for his tragic heartbreak. Then again, Nino doesn't think Aiba is the kind of person who would be dishonest about something that truly bothered him — and, Nino reminds himself, Aiba clearly enjoys the idea of Nino and Jun together. But that's something they've already talked about, and bringing some stranger home from a club before they've had a chance to discuss it would be a different matter altogether.

He thinks about it as he brushes his teeth and decides to keep it simple for now. He writes _Been rethinking our conversation about me and J_ and swears to himself that he'll explain everything else later, when he can say it face to face.

Almost immediately, Aiba sends back, _Do it!!!!!!!_ And then, a moment later: _You have my blessing. ;)_ And then: _Seriously though._

Nino laughs and almost chokes on a mouthful of toothpaste. He finishes up in the bathroom, gets into bed, and types one last message before turning his phone to silent for the night.

_I'll keep you updated._

x

Going to the club with Jun wasn't exactly eye-opening, since they've gone out together plenty of times in the past and Nino didn't see anything he hasn't seen before. But once he started looking at Jun through the lens of "hey, what if this person and I have sex for the first time in ten-plus years?", he noticed things he might not have paid quite as much attention to otherwise — like the way Jun effortlessly connects with people, the way he's always looking out for Nino, and especially the way he led that Ohno guy around like it was nothing at all. When Jun first walked out of the bedroom that evening, Nino thought the fit of his pants was going to be the night's winning image, but that title was claimed by Jun's hand on the back of that guy's neck.

And then there's Aiba. Nino finds himself declining all of Aiba's invitations to hang out over the next few days, because he knows Aiba will ask about the party — he'll ask about Nino and Jun — and Nino isn't sure yet how he's going to answer, not to mention how he's going to bring up the fact that he almost left with someone else. But when he receives a string of teary-eyed emoji in response to his polite excuse about not being able to meet up because of work — his third such excuse in as many days — he finally decides that he can't put it off any longer.

On Thursday night, he ends up getting off the train a few stops early so he can swing by the shop, and he's relieved to see there's only one customer this late on a weeknight, way back in the DVD section. Aiba's at the register as usual, flipping through some hentai magazine that has a many-tentacled beast on the cover. His face lights up when he hears the bell over the door and sees Nino.

Nino explains everything: the reason he went out with Jun, the fun night he had with Sho, his nervous guilt at the thought of going home with someone before they'd had a chance to talk about it. Aiba is so touched by his honesty that he leans over the counter to pull Nino into a hug.

"Aiba-chan, ow — my ribs —"

Aiba lets him go with a flurry of apologies, and then plants a noisy smooch right on Nino's mouth. The lone customer peeks up over the magazine racks, but Nino shoots him a scowl and he hurriedly ducks back down.

All in all, Nino's glad he took care of it. He's still not sure how comfortable he is with the word "dating" — that's the one thing he didn't mention, at least until he can sort through his feelings — but coming up with excuses to avoid hanging out for three days straight felt too much like the way he's sabotaged some of his other long-term relationships. He's been down that path before, and he doesn't want to travel it with Aiba.

He wants to stick around for this one.


	2. Chapter 2

Talking with Aiba gives Nino the last push he needs to make his move, especially when he thinks back on Aiba's insistence that hooking up with Jun would be "so hot, holy shit, Nino, seriously," so on Friday he uses his lunch break to head back to the shop. He walks in and beelines for the register, where Jun is leaning over the counter as he sorts through receipts.

Jun barely looks up when Nino lets himself through the divider that leads behind the counter, but he gives a low _tsk_ and says, "Do you do this when Aiba-san is working?"

"Nope, just you." Nino hoists himself up onto the countertop, ignoring Jun's pointed sigh. "How'd it go with your boy?"

With a hint of bragging in his voice, Jun says, "He's an artist."

"Uh oh." Jun has a history of falling head over heels for artists; he claims they're the only people who can truly understand his painstaking attention to detail. "I know that means you'll probably be holed up in your apartment with him for the next six months, but if you have any free time..." He kicks his feet, thinking about how to phrase his proposition. Jun's not the skittish kid he used to be, but Nino still feels like he has to ease in slowly, like he's approaching an unfamiliar cat. "I've been thinking... maybe you and —"

Before he can finish, a woman approaches the register with a stack of DVDs. Jun straightens up to help her, and they chat amicably about when the next shipment of such and such brand of lube will be in. When her purchase is paid for and bagged, he sends her off with a smile and waits until she's out the door before he goes back to his receipts. Without looking up, he says, "So, me and...?"

Nino kicks his feet some more. "You and me. I've been thinking about it, and I've decided that it might be fun if we hooked up."

For the first time since Nino walked in, Jun stops what he's doing and looks him in the eye. His expression is completely blank.

"It's been a while," Nino says, as if that's any explanation, then adds, "I'm curious."

Jun suggests, "Desperate?"

"_Curious_," Nino insists. "I am by no means desperate, thanks. But it's been years, and we've both learned a lot, and I think we could have something to offer each other."

Jun turns to face Nino fully. "What could you and I possibly have to offer each other?"

"Jeez, if you don't want to, you can say no."

"Well now you've got _me_ curious. What, precisely, have you been thinking —"

Another customer approaches the register, this one carrying a comically large dildo in his arms, but before he can open his mouth Nino turns to him and says, "Excuse me, we're trying to have a private conversation here."

Jun yanks him off the counter by the collar of his shirt and lifts up the divider to shove him onto the other side of it. "Go wait in my office," he snaps, "and don't harass any more of my customers on your way there!"

Nino wanders into the back, past an employee who recognizes him as Matsumoto-san's irritating-friend-slash-loyal-customer, and into Jun's office, where he ignores the fold-out chair beside Jun's desk and opts instead for the swivel chair parked in front of the computer. He spins around until he gets bored, and then he grabs a pad of sticky notes off the desk and starts writing.

_Things Kazu loves about Jun-pon:_   
_1\. His winning personality_   
_2\. His huge eyebrows_

That's as far as he gets before Jun comes in, looking exasperated as he shuts the door and kicks Nino out of the spinny chair. He eyes Nino's love letter with disdain but doesn't grace it with a comment. "Now, what were you saying about us having something to offer each other?"

Nino opens his mouth, stops, thinks, and then blurts out, "You're mean." At Jun's raised eyebrows, he explains, "Not in real life, but like. That's the way you do your sex things."

"How eloquent."

"Look — let me start over. No bullshit here. I'm happy with the way things are between you and me, and I'm happy with my sex life —"

Jun leans over his desk and stage-whispers, "Is this about Aiba-san?"

Nino waves that off with a scowl. "Leave him out of this, seriously. I told you I'm happy — and yes, before you ask, he knows about this. It's just a thought that popped into my head. Like at the party the other night, the way you were leading that Ohno guy around like he was on an invisible leash. You have that commanding aura."

"That's not being _mean_, Kazu."

"I know, I know, but it's also not you puffing yourself up to be this big, scary guy you're not. You can actually back it up. I've seen you do some fucked-up shit, Jun-pon, but at the same time you're this super thoughtful person... You're like, the cruelest yet most considerate dom I know."

Jun is silent at first, his eyebrows set low in an unreadable expression. Finally he says, "And that's what you want?"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you. I _don't_ want a dom, but I want someone mean, and I know you can pull it off in a way I won't hate."

Jun sits back in his chair, running his thumb over his bottom lip as he thinks. Right when Nino starts to worry he's going to say no, he gets up and grabs his bag from a hook by the door. When he comes back to the desk, he pulls out a leatherbound notebook that has colorful tabs poking out along the side.

Nino stares, unable to hide a smirk. He's seen that notebook a few times before, when Jun has accidentally left it out on the kitchen counter or the living room table. Nino thinks "accidentally" because whenever Jun catches him peering into it, he goes all red in the face and immediately puts it away. "Seriously? You carry that around with you?"

"I never know when I'll need it," Jun says, a touch defensive, and then steamrolls right back into planning mode. He opens the notebook to a blank page and grabs a pen from a cup on the desk. "Give me something to work with. What do you like about the things you do? What are the motivating factors?"

Of course Jun would ask about things like "motivating factors." Nino humors him, though, and takes a few moments to think before he says, "I like being tied up, period, but I like it more when it's a challenge. I like when I can manage to get loose, but I also like when I can't. I want that feeling of helplessness and frustration, when all I can do is let the other person take what they want — but it has to be earned. The struggle is at least half the fun."

He's not embarrassed to talk about these things so frankly with Jun because he learned years ago that when your favorite kind of sex involves having someone tie you up and fuck you while you pretend not to like it, being shy about the fine print isn't an option. Besides, even if he and Jun haven't been part of each other's sex lives for many years, they basically invented them for each other way back when, so being bashful about it now seems ridiculous.

Jun writes all of this down in his messy scrawl, then reads it back to himself silently. He looks up at Nino and says, "Okay, give me a few days to think about all of this. You're kind of throwing me a curveball here."

"I know." It's an apology and a thank-you, and Jun seems to understand.

"Here, let me give you something." He turns to his computer and wiggles the mouse to wake it up, and after a few clicks, the printer whirs into action. It rolls out a single sheet of paper that Jun passes on to Nino. "Fill this out and bring it back to me once you're sure about everything on it."

The first thing Nino sees is the title printed across the top of the page: _Yes/No/Maybe for experienced players._ Below that is an extensive list of kinks and sex acts, each with a checkbox next to it, arranged in two columns that take up almost the whole page. He looks back to Jun, smirking again. "This is overkill, don't you think?"

Jun looks gravely serious. "I need to be sure."

Before Nino can comment on that, his phone beeps to remind him that it's time to leave for work, so he takes the checklist and promises to bring it back the following week.

At home that night, he cracks open a beer and settles onto the couch with the list and a pen, feeling a bit like he's been given a homework assignment. There's even a paragraph of instructions printed below the title: _Use a checkmark for items you want. Use an X for items you do not want. Leave blank any items that require further discussion. Mark clearly. Failure to adhere to these and all other rules outlined on this page may disqualify you from further play._ What a downer. There's no fancy letterhead or anything else to implicate Jun as its creator, but it's practically screaming his name.

Nino starts down the list, ticking off the boxes he has any kind of automatic reaction to. He fills in the boxes for _Bondage_ and _Gags_ with little hearts; he checks off _Toys_ and adds a tiny doodle of a box, confident Jun will know what it means. He's tempted to go through the whole list this way, filling in the boxes with obnoxiously cute emoji and writing smartass remarks in the margins, but then he remembers what Jun told him: _I need to be sure._ The memory of Jun's face as he said it sobers Nino up. He continues down the list, committed now to taking it seriously.

He checks off _Pain (light)_ but crosses off _Pain (severe)_, with additional X's for all the associated kinks like whipping and flogging. He immediately crosses off anything having to do with overt submission — collars, pet play, chastity devices, all of it. Most of the items on the list are similarly easy to make a split-second decision about, but there are a few that take more thought, like breathplay. He's had some mind-blowingly positive experiences with it, but it's not something he feels comfortable doing with just anyone. Thinking about it like that, though, helps him make up his mind. Jun isn't just anyone. Nino adds a checkmark next to _Breathplay (light)_ and keeps going.

As he continues, he notices that kinks like consent play and rape fantasy, the kinds of things he was looking forward to adding a big fat checkmark next to, are conspicuously absent. Maybe that's something Jun does only by special request, or maybe it's a whole other checklist. Nino glances back up at the title — _experienced players_ — and wonders how many different versions Jun has. Is there one for intermediate players? Perhaps master-class players? Nino snorts to himself and moves on.

The last few items on the list are all bare-bones sex acts, presented in clinical terms like _Penetration (receiving)_ and _Oral (performing)_. They all get checkmarks. Submission-flavored kink aside, Nino can't imagine a single thing he wouldn't be thrilled to have Jun do to him.

The realization of how true that is makes Nino laugh at himself. Days ago he was swearing to Aiba that sex with Jun would be weird, and now here he is, eagerly listing out all the ways in which he would like that sex to happen.

When he reaches the end, there's only one item he needs to circle back around to think about: _Begging_. He's usually not averse to it, in fact he'll do it in a heartbeat if it gets him what he wants, but something about the thought of opening himself up to that kind of vulnerability in front of Jun feels strange. Nino knows it's silly, considering their history, and especially considering the revelation he just had about how eager he is for Jun to do all these other things to him, but he can't shake the feeling that begging would somehow be a step too far outside their usual context of catty banter and teasing jabs.

He leaves it blank for now. Maybe talking it out with Jun will help him decide.

At the bottom of the page, there's an area for him to sign and date it, and above that is a row of big, bold characters that spell out _DO NOT SIGN UNTIL ALL INVOLVED PARTIES HAVE MET TO DISCUSS._ He wants so badly to do it, but then he imagines Jun taking one look at it and tearing the whole page to shreds. Nino doesn't doubt for a second that he would.

x

That weekend, Aiba comes over to hang out and watch kung-fu movies. They're in the kitchen making pre-marathon curry when Aiba asks, "So, have you talked to Matsujun?"

Nino glances up from the vegetables he's chopping at the table. "Oh, yeah. We only talked about it though, no solid plans yet. He gave me this dorky list to fill out. I don't know why I was expecting anything different."

Aiba laughs, but it's quieter than usual, and he doesn't say anything else after that. Nino glances over to the counter where Aiba's prepping the rice and sees the way his mouth is pursed up as he contemplates something. Nino lets him sort it out.

A few minutes later, when the rice cooker has been set, Aiba says, "Hey, Nino."

"Hm?"

"I wanted you to know... I hope you're not doing this whole thing with Matsujun because I kept saying it would be hot. Those are just jokes. I mean, it _would_ be hot, wow, but all I really want is for you to be happy."

Nino sets the knife down onto the chopping board and turns to face Aiba fully. "Aiba-chan. Do you really think I would jump into bed with my best friend just because you asked?"

Aiba gives a bashful smile. "I mean, when you say it that way, it does sound kind of silly."

"It sounds _really_ silly." Still, Nino thinks, it's sweet that Aiba wanted to make sure. "Thank you for telling me, though. I appreciate it... even if you are pressuring me into having sex with another man."

This time, Aiba's laugh is all high and bubbly.

They finish making lunch, head into the living room, and start off strong with _The Way of the Dragon_. But somewhere between _Drunken Master_ and _Ong Bak 2_, they get distracted. Eventually they end up sprawled across the couch, kissing each other breathless to the soundtrack of Tony Jaa beating the ever-loving shit out of every person he meets.

It's not often that Nino gets to make out with anyone, since it's not really compatible with the kind of sex he likes to have, but he's been making out a lot with Aiba these days and he has absolutely no complaints. Aiba shifts them so he's lying between Nino's spread knees, and everything about it is glorious: his fingers running through Aiba's hair, his legs framing Aiba's waist, Aiba's hand sneaking between their bodies to palm Nino's dick through his jeans.

They keep kissing as Aiba gets Nino's zipper undone and slips his hand into Nino's boxers. Nino's already hard, and Aiba's fingers on him feel incredible, and sure, Nino can think of a few things that would make it better, but there's nothing about it that doesn't already feel amazing.

What's even more amazing is the sudden sense that Aiba can read his mind. He pulls out of the kiss, flashes a heart-skipping smile, and folds one of his hands tightly over Nino's mouth.

Now it's better than amazing — now it's _perfect_.

Nino hears himself whine, completely involuntary, and reaches to tug at Aiba's wrist, but Aiba knows he doesn't mean it. He holds on tighter, keeps working his hand, until Nino is keening and trembling as he comes.

Nino goes boneless against the couch and lies there, letting Aiba kiss his neck, until he feels like he can move again. He pulls Aiba up and whispers against his lips, "Thank you."

In that moment, Nino is thankful for a lot of things, but the way Aiba knows how to make him feel good is at the top of the list. He pushes Aiba away and slides off the couch, to the floor, where he settles onto his knees and reaches for the waistband of Aiba's pants. All he wants right now is to make Aiba feel good in return... and, selfishly, to taste him. In addition to making out, having Aiba's cock in his mouth has recently become one of Nino's very favorite things.

As Aiba lifts his hips so Nino can tug his pants down to his knees, he breathes out, "You don't have to." Even when he's helping Nino get ready to suck him off, he's as sweet as ever.

Nino nuzzles Aiba's thigh and finds himself utterly incapable of holding back a fond smile. "I want to return the favor."

x

He messages Jun on Sunday to let him know he'll be stopping by the next day, and Jun messages back to ask when.

_Around 1. Same as before._

_Is that your lunch break?_

Nino replies with _Yeah??_ because he has no idea why Jun would need to know that, but he doesn't get a response. Oh well. He shows up on Monday as promised and finds Jun stocking shelves, no customers in sight.

"Hey," Jun says, barely sparing a glance but raising a hand in greeting. "Give me a couple minutes, I'm almost done here."

So Nino wanders around, cruising the aisle Jun is working on until he spots a canary-yellow ball gag he's been contemplating for a few weeks. He pulls it off the rack and says, "Jun-pon, will you buy this for me?"

Jun eyes it skeptically. "Do you want me to use it on you?"

Nino waggles his eyebrows. "If the mood strikes."

Jun rolls his eyes and says, "There's an unopened display version in the back. It's all yours."

Nino busies himself with exploring the rest of the store, even though he's already seen everything in here a hundred times, and eventually makes his way up front to browse the fliers and ads spread across the counter. They're mostly for new products or hotly awaited DVDs, with some events and meet-ups thrown in. One flier features a monstrously busty redhead in a skimpy schoolgirl uniform and lists details for a fan greeting event. Another one is for a discussion group that catches Nino's eye when he notices Hiyashi-san, Jun's domme friend from the club, listed as the moderator. The text centered on the page reads, _This month's topic: Tackling Top Drop._ Nino moves on to the next flier, sifting through them mindlessly to pass the time.

When Jun is finished he calls someone from the back to keep an eye on the register, and then he and Nino head into his office. Jun pulls some sandwiches from the mini-fridge in the corner and offers one to Nino.

So that's why he wanted to know if it was Nino's lunch break. Nino accepts the sandwich with a grin and teases, "Is this a date?"

Jun's eyebrow twitches as he sits down. "Did you bring the list?"

Nino pulls it out of his bag and sets it on the desk where Jun's notebook is already opened to Nino's page. Jun reads it as he starts on his sandwich, his eyes scanning each and every line. He seems to be simply assessing at first, and then he starts back from the top and pauses on the ones he wants to discuss. The first one, of course, is the only box Nino left blank. "Talk to me about begging."

Nino chews his bite of sandwich slowly to give himself a few more seconds to think about his answer. He still doesn't know how to explain his complicated feelings about the thought of begging Jun for literally anything, but in the end he decides that even if it might be awkward, he doesn't necessarily want it off the table. He gulps down his mouthful and says, "I might do it. _Maybe_. But I'm not one of your obedient subs — you're gonna have to earn it."

That puts a look on Jun's face like he's thinking _Challenge accepted_. He grabs a pen to jot something in the notebook, and then he moves on to the next item he wants to discuss. "What kind of breathplay is light for you?"

Nino shrugs. "Keep it short."

"And what about pain?"

"Eh. Some light nipple action, maybe a few pinches or scratches if you're feeling inspired. It doesn't do anything for me by itself, but it could help set the mood. Oh, and none of that predicament stuff, like if I don't hold perfectly still I'll set off some complicated lever-and-pulley system that drops a ten-pound weight attached to my balls."

Jun laughs, clearly tickled by Nino's colorful description. "I figured you would love that kind of thing."

"Jun-kun," Nino says, holding up a hand to indicate that he's about to announce something of great importance. "I cannot stress to you enough how much I enjoy the struggle. You can tie me up until I can't move, but if I have to make a conscious _effort_ not to move, I'll hate it. Like, sincerely hate it. Not in the fun way."

Jun is still chuckling as he writes in the notebook. "Understood."

As he reaches the last section of the list, his eyes catch on something that makes him smirk, but he doesn't comment on it at first. Nino has to nudge his foot under the desk and ask, "What's that face for?"

"I see you checked off deep-throating." Jun's smirk has widened into a full-on grin. "Gotten any better at it?"

Nino laughs as he remembers a series of failed experiments from their early days, the last of which ended with Jun brewing a huge pot of honey-sweetened slippery elm tea and telling him, _It's all right, Kazu, not everyone's cut out for it._ The memory has always stuck with him because the whole situation was sort of hilarious, but also because the tea worked as miraculously as Jun swore it would. It's still Nino's go-to remedy for sore throats.

Yet another thing he would never admit to Jun.

"Not really," he says. "There's only so much you can do with a sensitive gag reflex. But hey, I'm always willing to try."

When Jun is done with the list, he sets everything down onto the desk and asks, "Have you thought about anything else, like how you want the scene to go?"

That's Jun all right: the individual details are all in service of the _scene_, the story. Nino doesn't care about a story. "Uh, tie me up, leave me alone to struggle for a while, and fuck me afterwards." He wants more than that — that's why he's coming to Jun in the first place — but he trusts Jun to fill in all the in-between parts.

Jun, however, pulls a face like Nino has said something impolite. "I'm not gonna leave you alone like that. It's unsafe."

"Whatever, then pull up a chair and watch. If you do your job right, it's not like I'll be able to stop you."

Jun closes the notebook and sits back in his chair, radiating smug confidence. "Oh, I'll definitely do my job right."

When they're done eating, Jun makes Nino sign and date the list, and then he signs it as well before running it through the copier and offering Nino the duplicate that comes out. When Nino says he doesn't need it, Jun waves it at him, making the paper flap noisily. "Take it, please. For my peace of mind."

They agree on Saturday evening, and Jun finds that yellow ball gag and drops it into a shopping bag for Nino to take home. As Nino is walking out the door, he calls over his shoulder, "Thanks for the date, Jun-pon." He delights, as usual, at the way Jun rolls his eyes.

On the train back to work, he sends Aiba a message. _Me and J. It's on._

His phone buzzes with a reply only a few minutes later. _Pics or it didn't happen!!!!!!!_

x

The days leading up to it are a mix of exciting and nerve-wracking, especially because Nino can't stop thinking about the last time they tried to have sex over a decade ago. They'd been dating for years at that point, and although Nino already knew their relationship was heading towards a dead end, neither of them had the guts to cut it off. It was that ill-fated last hook-up that finally sealed the deal. Jun's cautious approach this time around hasn't been a surprise to Nino — he's been here all along, watching Jun grow into the person he is now — but it does highlight how much they've changed.

The more he thinks about it, the more he remembers. It was the year Jun moved out of his parents' place, and he was celebrating his newfound freedom by dipping his toes into the local scene. For months, it seemed like every weekend he was inviting Nino over to show him some new pamphlet he'd found about shibari or proper BDSM etiquette. That day in particular began with him sitting Nino down and insisting that they come up with a safeword. Nino realizes now that it was a good idea, but at the time he thought it was so stupid. They eventually settled on "Nintendo," but the whole thing had him in such a contrary mood that the session was doomed before it even began.

Jun started by handcuffing Nino's wrists behind his back and ordering him to get on his knees. When Nino stubbornly refused, Jun had to force him down. Then he told Nino to crawl over to the bed and suck him off. When Nino refused that too, Jun dragged him over, and Nino still didn't give up the fight. He went slow when Jun said to go fast; he pulled back when Jun said to go deeper; Jun ordered him to do better, and he rebelled with teeth.

At the very limit of his patience, Jun slapped Nino across the face, and something inside of Nino snapped too. He spit the word out like a snake spitting venom — _Nintendo!_ — and Jun glared, uncomprehending, before he realized what Nino had said and scrambled for the key.

And that was it.

There's no bad blood between them because of it, though it did take a few months for them to stop feeling paralyzingly awkward around each other. Once they found people they fit better with, it wasn't a big deal anymore, and obviously their friendship recovered and flourished. But it's not surprising to Nino now, nor was it then, that it ended the way it did. Jun was so much more defensive back then, so quick to anger, so anxious to make something _his_ no matter what anyone else said. And, well, Nino wasn't any better: not yet seasoned at reading people and knowing when to back off, too aggressively noncommittal to sense when someone wasn't interested in playing around anymore, wholly unwilling to be vulnerable even in private moments. In hindsight, Jun's fierce determination to be taken seriously and Nino's outright refusal to take _anything_ seriously were such a bad match that he can't believe they lasted as long as they did.

But as badly as that last time went, it taught them a valuable lesson about boundaries and communication. Nino's probably the reason Jun has that silly checklist; he tried too many new things without asking first, and Nino hated all of them. No wonder he's so careful now.

When Nino thinks of it that way, he feels pretty shitty about it.

His trip down memory lane makes him realize that with everything Jun has been doing to ensure Nino will get what he wants, Nino has completely failed to do the same for him. He presented it as something they could both benefit from, and this whole time, they haven't spoken a single word about what Jun will be getting out of it.

He doesn't think Jun would agree to something he really didn't want to do, but the worry digs at him anyway. As he arrives home from work on Friday night, he makes up his mind.

x

Jun answers the phone with "Hey, I was just thinking about calling you. Can I run something by you real quick?"

An image flashes through Nino's mind of Jun sitting in his office, glasses on, sketching out storyboards for their upcoming session. He jokes, "What, like a possible plotline?"

"Obviously that part's a secret."

Nino rolls his eyes.

"No, I was looking over your checklist and it got me thinking. Because we've known each other for so long, and because of the things you're asking for, I'm gonna give you an option I don't usually give people I'm playing with for the first time." He clears his throat and adds, "Even though this isn't technically our first time, but you know what I mean."

Nino knows exactly what he means. "Okay, cool. Shoot."

"Let's say we've already gotten started and I think of something I want to do, but we haven't discussed it specifically. I think about it and decide that it's more in line with what you told me you do want than what you told me you don't want. In that scenario, should I go ahead and do it, or should I play it safe and wait until we've had a chance to talk about it?"

Jeez, he sounds like a lawyer. This is the kind of careful attention Nino was thinking about, though, so he takes it seriously. It's the least he can do. "Hold on, let me think about this for a second."

He runs through everything they've discussed, everything that's happened between them in the past. It's true that their last time together was mildly disastrous, but they've both matured since then, and if they didn't have that history — if they had only ever been friends — Nino would have no reason to worry. He decides that even though he doesn't know what Jun has planned, there is one thing he knows for sure: his Jun-kun, the one he knows now, is so meticulous that there's no way he would go out on a limb unless he was sure it would be good for both of them.

That's all the assurance he needs.

"Sure thing, Jun-pon. Go for it." And then, more sincerely, because he needs Jun to know he means it: "I trust you."

"Thanks, Kazu."

"Now, do you want me to type all that up and sign it in blood?"

Jun says, "No, it's fine, I'm recording this conversation," pitching it like it's a joke, but Nino isn't entirely convinced. "Oh, hey, what were you calling about?"

Oh yeah, that. "I was thinking about the list and everything, and now this, and I guess I wanted to check in with you about what you want. Since we haven't really talked about it."

The ensuing silence goes on long enough that Nino glances at his phone to make sure they haven't been disconnected. Then Jun coos, "Awww, Kazu."

"You're not crying, are you?"

"I'm just touched that you would ask. And shocked."

"You know what, I think I'll hang up —"

"No, seriously," Jun says, but the way he's laughing doesn't make him sound very serious at all. "Thank you for asking. Is there anything in particular you're wondering about?"

"I have a pretty good idea about the kind of stuff you're into, but..." He stumbles for a few seconds, avoiding the words "motivating factors" because he knows he wouldn't be able to keep the mocking tone out of his voice. "You know, in general, what do you want to get out of it? I figured you'd like not having to deal with all the pretense and the etiquette and stuff, and being able to do what you want without having to dress it up, but..." Dammit, even that sounds belittling. He gives up and says, "I don't know, you tell me."

After another short stretch of silence, Jun says, more quiet now than before, "I like the pretense and the etiquette. But I like it your way too. I don't do it as often because it's... it's harder on me, to be honest. It's easy to get into character, but the comedown can be rough. It is fun, though."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to feel like you're just doing me a favor or something."

"I promise, I'm not just doing you a favor."

"So then, is there anything specific you want me to do, or not do? When I get into that headspace I can be a pretty big pain in the ass. Should I try to hold back?" He's selfishly hoping the answer will be no, since not holding back is the whole reason he's doing this, but if his constant urge to fight is going to ruin the fun like it did last time, he wants to know the truth.

"No, don't hold back," Jun says, sounding sincere. "I want you to do whatever feels natural. If it's too much or if I start getting pissed off for real, I'll make that clear."

"Okay, good. And same here — I mean it. It could get hairy in there, Jun-kun, but if I'm not safewording out, I still want it."

Jun sounded so serious, but now there's a hint of teasing in his voice. "I don't know if this occurred to you, but I'm not exactly a stranger to playing with guys who like to fight."

"So you're saying you won't be expecting me to open with 'Matsumoto-sama, would you kindly mind fucking me, pretty please'?"

He's relieved to hear Jun laugh. "I could make you say it, but no, that's not what I'm expecting."

"Jun-pon, there is no way you could make me say that."

"Oh, Kazu," Jun sighs, playfully patronizing. "You forget. Making subs do what I want them to is my specialty."

x

Jun messages him in the morning to ask if they can meet at Nino's place, and after Nino tells him that's fine, he doesn't hear from Jun again for the rest of the day. Nino busies himself with tidying up around the apartment, playing video games to distract himself from the jittery anticipation, and picking out what to wear. His usual at-home attire is sweatpants and a ratty T-shirt, but when he knows someone is coming over for a session, he likes to "dress up" — layers, jeans with a belt, a pair of clean socks he wouldn't mind having shoved in his mouth. He does it to look more presentable, sure, but mostly because it adds to the struggle.

The next message from Jun arrives as the sun is beginning to set. When Nino reads the words on the screen, it's like every cell in his body is suddenly alight, buzzing with excitement and making his skin feel tingly all over.

_On my way._

x

At Jun's insistence, they head into the kitchen first, where Jun pulls a water bottle out of his bag and takes a swig before he says, "You've got to hydrate before a workout." He's got a dumb smile on his face like he knows Nino will make fun of him and is beating him to the punch, so Nino lets it slide. He pours a glass for himself to match, and as they sit down at the table, Jun says, "Thanks for agreeing to do it here. Oh-chan is painting at my place."

"Oh-chan," Nino repeats, eyebrows raised way up, and then: "Oh my god, is it a portrait of you — _is it nude_?"

Jun responds with an impassioned "_No_," but his cheeks are definitely turning rosy.

"Aw, Jun-pon, are you dating someone now too? Does he know why you're here?"

"Of course he knows. He asked to tag along."

"And what was your answer?"

"I gave him ten swats with a hairbrush for being inappropriate. What kind of self-respecting dom do you take me for?"

They keep chatting as they sit there in the kitchen, Nino telling Jun where everything is: toys in the bedroom closet, condoms and lube in the top drawer of the nightstand, rope and tape and a few other odds and ends in the middle drawer. Jun asks if anything about Nino's preferences has changed or if he has anything to add, and Nino says no. Jun takes a considering sip from his bottle and asks, "Nintendo?" It makes Nino smile.

"Sure."

"And if you can't talk?"

Years ago Nino would have scoffed at that, but now he's been around the block enough times to know how important it is. He's heard the horror stories. He's only ever had to do it himself on one occasion — there's a reason he made sure to tell Jun he's not into predicament bondage — but it's always there in the back of his mind, a reassuring just-in-case that he'd rather have and not need than the other way around. He holds his hand up for Jun to see and snaps his fingers sharply. It's a loud, distinct sound, easy to make even when his wrists are tied.

"Good. And for yellow?"

That one, on the other hand, Nino has never had a need for; _slow down_ doesn't exactly fit the way he likes to play. But he knows that if Jun is asking for it now, he's not going to back down until he has an answer. Nino thinks about it and makes something up on the spot. "I'll tap out," he says, tapping his palm and fingers against the table a few times in demonstration.

Jun nods, pleased. "Got it."

Nino finishes his glass of water, Jun caps his bottle, and together they stand from the table.

Jun asks, "Need the bathroom?"

"Nope."

"All right then." He turns towards the doorway, motioning for Nino to go first. "Shall we?"

As they make their way through the living room, Nino feels a little giddy and also a little apprehensive, all of that excitement bleeding over into impatience. He wonders if Jun is going to be this friendly and conversational the whole way, or if maybe he'll start by asking Nino to strip and fold his clothes into a neat pile. He catches himself cringing at the thought and has to wipe it off his face before Jun notices.

But, as it turns out, he needn't have worried at all.

Jun is perfect.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Class started last week (!!!!) so it took me a bit longer than expected to get to this chapter. Should be smooth sailing from here. Enjoy the porn, FINALLY!!

When they walk into the bedroom, Nino is feeling antsy from the anticipation of what's to come and the uncertainty of how it's going to start. Of all the options running through his mind, the last thing he expects is for Jun to hover in the doorway with an almost disinterested look on his face, his eyes roaming around the room as if assessing it for cleanliness. Nino at least put in the effort of making his bed and shoving all his dirty clothes into the hamper, but he didn't think Jun would care _that_ much about it. But Jun keeps standing there, not saying anything, not even moving until he lifts a hand to examine his nails.

Nino is starting to feel frustrated, and not in the good way. He takes a step towards the nightstand and says, "Okay, well, I'll get the —"

He makes the mistake of turning his back on the door.

That's when Jun strikes.

It happens so quickly that Nino doesn't even have time to register the sound of Jun moving, and then Jun's got him by the scruff of his neck and is dragging him to the bed so he can throw him onto it. Nino bounces onto the mattress with an _Oof!_ and tries to dash away, get back on his feet, but Jun is on him too fast. He rolls Nino onto his back and has his wrists pinned against the pillows in seconds, his arms stretched out straight above his head, both wrists held in one of Jun's hands. Jun keeps him pinned as he leans over to the side of the bed to open the middle drawer of the nightstand, and he rummages blindly for a few seconds before coming back with a roll of silver bondage tape.

The sight of Jun using his teeth to lift up the loose edge on the roll triggers something in Nino, something red-hot and primal deep inside of him. Jun throwing him around was enough to kickstart the buzz, but suddenly he is dropped right into the middle of it, making his knees feel weak even as the rest of his body tenses up. It's the smell of the tape — the sound of it tearing as Jun rips a piece loose — the sensation of Jun's fingers wrapped vice-tight around his wrists — and it's all fueled by the adrenaline spike that kicked into effect the instant Jun grabbed him. Nino is overwhelmed, wholly and inescapably, by the urge to struggle tooth and nail, to kick and claw and gouge his way out.

He wants to make Jun fight for what he's going to take.

He clenches his hands and channels all of his strength into tugging his arms free, and he almost gets it. There's a split second where he feels Jun's fingers loosen around his wrists, sees the surprise on Jun's face, and then Jun has him with both hands again, hoisting one leg up to straddle Nino's chest and locking his arms so all of his weight is settled on Nino's wrists. All Nino can do now is tug, and with the leverage Jun has over him in this position, it gets him nowhere.

Jun catches his eye and flashes a smile Nino has never seen on him before. There's laughter in his eyes, but there's nothing kind about it. The look on his face says, _Is that all you've got?_

Nino doesn't make it easy, but Jun holds him down and winds the tape around his wrists, making sure it's snug without cutting off his circulation. He keeps Nino's arms pinned as he uses his free hand to start unbuckling his own belt, and Nino tries to push up against him, twists his hips to try and dislodge him, but Jun plants his knees and refuses to be moved. He uses his belt to lash Nino's wrists to the headboard, and then he gets up and turns around so he's facing Nino's feet. He settles himself over Nino's hips, framing Nino's thighs with his knees to keep him from kicking out. And then he gets to work again with the tape.

As soon as his back is turned, Nino is planning his escape route. He twists his neck up to study the precise way in which Jun has secured the belt: it's looped under the tape around Nino's wrists, threaded through the spokes of the headboard, and buckled like normal. All Nino needs to do is reach the buckle. _Easy peasy._

If Jun were more distracted he'd try it right then, but it only takes a minute for Jun to wrap the tape around Nino's knees. When he's done, he sets the roll down and settles onto the mattress, facing Nino again, his breath coming out in quiet huffs.

Nino sneers, "Worn out already? I thought you had more stamina than that."

Jun fixes him with an unimpressed glare. "Why is everything such a challenge with you?"

"That's kind of the point of this, Jun-pon."

Jun raises an eyebrow. "Really?" He reaches down to press his palm against the front of Nino's jeans, feeling his already-hard dick. "I thought _this_ was the point." He squeezes, watching intently as Nino twitches and bites back a moan. Jun keeps watching, and Nino stares right back, refusing to look away first even as Jun drags his fist up the denim-clad shape of Nino's cock. He squeezes tighter when he reaches the tip, and Nino has to bite his tongue to keep from whimpering. Jun's mouth curves into that cruel smile again. "Look at you," he breathes, pressing his thumb down against the head of Nino's cock and smiling even wider when it makes Nino's hips jerk. "I forgot what a slut you are for this."

"I was thinking about your checklist," Nino says, barely managing to keep his voice even. "It got me all hot and bothered."

Jun sighs, "Always so chatty," as he leans closer to press his hand over Nino's mouth. He wedges one of his knees between Nino's thighs to keep him lying flat, and with his free hand he unbuckles Nino's belt, unzips his jeans, pulls his eager dick out of his boxers, and starts stroking with no pretense or preamble. Nino shudders all the way down his body and pulls on his wrists and legs to feel the way Jun presses him right back down.

Jun whispers, "You like that?"

Nino responds with a noise that could mean anything. He's not yet willing to acquiesce his approval, but yeah, he likes it a lot.

Jun keeps stroking, past the point Nino was expecting or hoping for. Of course Jun would go for that infuriating right-up-to-the-edge orgasm denial straight out the gate. Nino starts to put up more of a fight as he gets closer to an orgasm, because he knows Jun isn't going to let him have it and he wants to make Jun's job as difficult as possible. Still, he's already mostly immobile, and it takes little effort for Jun to hold him down, working his dick faster and faster until Nino feels like he's seconds away from coming, unable to hold back his pleading whines.

As expected, Jun pulls away right before the home stretch. He doesn't even have the decency to ease out of it; he goes and goes until Nino's voice has reached a particularly impressive pitch, and then on an upstroke he lifts his hand completely away and lowers his arm to rest at his side. Despite his best efforts, Nino whines beneath Jun's palm still pressed over his mouth and tries instinctively to crane his neck up to look, as if looking would do him any good. Jun holds his head down against the pillows and doesn't let him budge an inch.

Nino lets his body go limp with a defeated groan, followed by a pointedly more frustrated groan when Jun moves his hand away from Nino's face so he can tuck Nino's dick back into his boxers. He carefully zips Nino's jeans back up, gets his belt buckled again, then moves on to the belt tethering Nino's arms to the headboard.

Nino lies still and lets him work, but as soon as the belt is off, he's rolling up and away. He doesn't have a plan beyond that — it's not like he can get very far with his knees bound — but he suspects he doesn't need one.

And he's right: Jun grabs him almost immediately, fisting a hand in his shirt and yanking him back onto the bed.

He gets Nino on his back again, hooks an arm under his knees to bend his legs up, and after a great deal of tussling that involves Nino nearly kicking Jun in the chin and which culminates in Jun's knee planted against Nino's chest to anchor him down, Jun manages to get Nino's wrists taped to his knees, keeping him all curled up. Once that first layer of tape is secure, Jun slides off of Nino and continues to wrap it around, and around, making sure everything is nice and tight. All Nino can do is curse and lie there on his back, feeling like a cartoon hog on a spit. The only thing missing is a shiny red apple in his mouth. Actually, he thinks as he struggles, that would be pretty hot.

When it's all said and done, they're both panting and flushed. Jun takes a single moment to recover, and then he starts tugging and turning Nino until he's sitting upright with his legs stretched out in front of him. Nino puts in a feeble attempt to struggle away, but he's still breathless and trying to figure out how much mobility he has like this. By the time he catches his breath, Jun is already on the other side of the room, looking for something in the top drawer of Nino's dresser by the door.

Nino takes the opportunity to start tugging against the tape holding his wrists and knees so thoroughly in place. He's trying to assess how much effort it'll take to get free, and he'll be damned — this is going to be tough.

To make up for how flustered he is, he starts running his mouth, always ready to fight with words when his body is out of commission. "You know, I think I figured out why you're _really_ into all this. With that face you'd think people would be lining up around the block to get you in bed, but as soon as you open your mouth, the whole anal-retentive-perfectionist thing sends them running, and that dorky checklist isn't doing you any favors either — but I guess some people are into that, so you lure those ones in so you can tie them up and boss them around — all you really want is to have your filthy way with —"

He's so distracted by trying to plan an escape and coming up with mean shit to say that he's only peripherally aware of Jun walking back to the bed and climbing onto it behind him. He's genuinely startled when Jun suddenly reaches around to slap a hand over his mouth.

"If you want me to gag you," Jun says, "all you have to do is ask."

His other hand moves into Nino's view: he's holding a rolled-up sock that he pulled from the dresser. It's thick, probably meant to be worn under boots, but Nino only has it in his drawer for these exact occasions. Damn, Jun is good.

Nino presses his lips shut and tries to turn away, but Jun pinches his nose until he has to gasp for air. The instant his mouth is open, Jun is stuffing the sock into it, his other hand moving to hold Nino's jaw as he continues to work the fabric past his teeth. Nino knows from experience that he'll barely be able to talk around this thing, but he gives it a try now anyway, just for the fun of it; his attempt at _Fuck you, get off of me!_ comes out muffled and incomprehensible, and all Jun does is tighten his fingers around Nino's jaw. It sends a thrill down Nino's spine. He prides himself on his sharp tongue, but when he's playing like this, there's something so viscerally satisfying about being reduced to wordless noises and grunts.

Of course, that doesn't mean he's ready to quit fighting. As soon as Jun unhands him to reach for the tape, Nino turns his head to the side and spits the sock out.

He gets some good distance, too. They both watch as the sock lands on the very edge of the bed, and then, just to be a smartass, Nino wiggles his hips enough to give the mattress a shake. The sock tips over the edge and onto the floor.

For a long, tense moment, nothing happens. Behind Nino, Jun is unmoving, not saying a word. When he finally leans over to reach the floor, Nino catches a glimpse of his face and sees the way his mouth is pinched into a thin line. That look and the heavy silence leave Nino wondering if maybe spitting the sock out wasn't a great idea — or maybe it was the _greatest_ idea.

The only sounds in the room are the creaking of the bed frame as Jun gets back into place behind Nino and the crinkly sounds of the tape as Nino starts tugging with renewed purpose.

And then, without warning, Jun fists a hand in Nino's hair, yanks his head back painfully tight, and shoves two fingers straight to the back of his throat.

Nino's body jerks as that sensitive gag reflex of his kicks into high gear, but Jun's hold on his hair keeps him pulled taut and the tape doesn't give even a little. He clenches his hands and feels like his entire body is screaming at him to fight, but the fighting gets him nowhere. All he can do is kick his feet and gag helplessly around Jun's fingers. 

After two horrifying seconds, Jun pulls his fingers out. Nino sputters and gasps until Jun grabs his chin, squishing his cheeks and making his mouth pucker in a way that must look ridiculous. He tugs sharply on Nino's hair and says right in his ear, "Did you like that?" 

Nino shakes his head, still breathing hard through his nose.

"Do you want me to do it again?"

Another desperate head-shake.

"Are you going to cooperate?"

The urge to keep fighting makes Nino hesitate, but when Jun releases his chin and makes like he's going to shove his fingers back in, Nino croaks out, "Yes, yes! I'll cooperate, fuck!"

Jun pats his cheek hard enough to sting. "Wise choice." He lets go of Nino's hair, and when his hand comes back around into view, he's holding the sock again.

As promised, Nino opens his mouth wide and flattens his tongue to let Jun work it in. The renewed adrenaline is making him a little buzzy, and now that he's not on the verge of dry-heaving, he's feeling pretty good. His hard-on wilted considerably in the face of Jun's stunt, but now it's starting to perk up again. He squirms just to do it and thrills at the way Jun tugs him back into place.

Jun picks up the tape and fits the loose edge neatly over Nino's mouth, held open by the thick fabric, and then he begins winding it around Nino's head, working methodically, humming to himself as he goes. He overlaps the tape in careful layers so that it covers Nino's mouth, part of his chin, all the way up to just under his nose. If it were one measly strip, Nino knows he could get out of it pretty easily, but this — this is thorough, secure. The sock fills his mouth so completely that enunciating with any sort of clarity will be nearly impossible, and he has no hope of getting the tape off unless he frees his hands first.

He's screwed, and he loves it.

When Jun is done, he leans over to rifle through the nightstand, and from the quiet _snip_ Nino hears, he guesses Jun grabbed the safety scissors that are usually stored in there. Jun sets everything on the bed and smooths his hands over Nino's covered-up mouth, over his cheeks and the back of his neck, patting down all the creases in the tape.

"There we go," he murmurs, almost like he's talking to himself. "That's better." He moves around until he's sitting at Nino's side, close enough to tap Nino's nose as he says, "Got any smartass remarks for me now?"

Nino knows he must not look very intimidating like this, but he gives his best glare anyway.

Jun grins wide as he rises on his knees, takes Nino by the shoulders, and slowly tips him over. Nino tries to fight it, shouting muffled curses behind the tape because he knows it'll be that much more difficult to move around if he's not starting from an upright position, but there is, of course, nothing he can do about it. On his side like this, he has to bend his knees up to be able to rest his arms comfortably, and something about being curled in a fetal position makes him feel even more vulnerable.

At first, nothing happens. When Nino glances over his shoulder, he finds that Jun is watching him, doing nothing but sitting there and staring for long enough that Nino starts to feel antsy again. He actually flinches when Jun reaches out, but all Jun does is squeeze Nino's ass, and Nino starts to think, _Maybe he's going to fuck me now._

Then Jun's fingers are trailing down his leg, all the way to his feet. He peels Nino's socks off and gives the sole of Nino's right foot a little tickle.

Nino shrieks and kicks his legs, suddenly thankful that at least his ankles aren't —

"You're right," Jun says, as if he has some kind of sadistic sixth sense. "Let's take care of these too."

Nino fights like hell, but when he's already so immobile, it's not difficult for Jun to pin his legs so they're crossed at the ankle and then wrap the tape around them — a few more times than is strictly necessary, Nino thinks — until they're secured like that. He ignores Nino's frustrated grunts as he uses the safety scissors to cut the tape, and then he goes again for Nino's feet. Nino flops around as best as he can, shouting _Nonononono!_ with as much clarity as possible, but it's almost effortless for Jun to hold him down with one hand on his ankles and dance his fingertips cruelly over the sensitive skin of Nino's arches. Nino's mind goes blank as he screams and twitches, unable to do a goddamn thing _but_ scream and twitch as Jun tickles him ruthlessly.

It seems like an eternity of torture before Jun stops. He's laughing genuinely, this mean cackle that Nino has never heard come out of him before. Nino, meanwhile, is near sobbing and half-blinded from the tears in his eyes.

He braces for another attack when he notices Jun moving up the bed. He's afraid Jun is going for his sides or his armpits next, but Jun places a hand on his shoulder and bends down to whisper in his ear, "_That's_ why I'm into this." His voice is dropped low, sultry and terrifying all at once. "Because I love watching you fight so hard and lose so badly. Because all that struggling and all that smart-mouthing is worth it when I see the look on your face as you realize how utterly helpless I've made you."

Nino can't help the whimper that squeaks out of him.

Jun snakes his arm down to fit his hand over Nino's dick through his jeans. He leans even lower, until his lips brush the shell of Nino's ear. "And Kazu..." He squeezes, sending a jolt of pleasure through Nino to counter the way the next words make his blood run cold. "I haven't even gotten started having my way with you."

He gives Nino's ass a friendly pat before he steps onto the floor. "Now you sit tight while I get started on dinner. I'll check on you when I have a minute." He's grinning as he says it, a startling turnaround from the way he was whispering huskily in Nino's ear moments ago. He walks away, ignoring Nino's muffled shouts of protest, and calls over his shoulder, "Don't get into any trouble!"

And then he's gone, chuckling to himself as he walks out the door and leaving Nino to wonder how someone can be such a terror and such a _nerd_ at the same time.

With Jun gone, Nino takes his time testing out his range of motion. His arms are of no use, and with his knees and ankles bound so tightly, they're not doing much for him either. After some experimenting, however, he finds that if he shimmies his hips a certain way and digs his heels into the mattress, he can drag himself ever so slowly down the length of the bed. He does that for what feels like hours, shimmying and scooting until he can hook his ankles over the edge of the mattress. Not being able to use his feet as leverage makes the rest of the trek even more difficult, but he keeps going, grunting and sweating the whole way, and eventually manages to scoot his butt right up to the edge. From there it's relatively easy to lean his weight into the mattress and push off with his elbow so that he rolls from his side onto his back, and it's easier still to rock forward and pull himself upright. Squirming his way down the mattress was new, but sitting up with his arms and legs bound? That's a regular Saturday evening for Nino.

_Now_ comes the hard part.

As he catches his breath, he takes a few moments to look around the room and more fully assess the situation he's gotten himself into. He needs a way to get this tape off, or at least loosen it, and it needs to be something that's already out in the open because he definitely won't be opening any drawers or looking through his closet like this. His eyes scan the walls, the floor, all the flat surfaces — he's thinking he might have to use the corner of a drawer to try and loosen the tape — and that's when he notices the glimmer of something metallic on the other side of the room: the safety scissors are on top of the dresser next to the door. Jun must have left them there on his way out.

If Nino can hop over there, nudge the scissors off with his nose, get back on the floor and get them in his hands... well, it'll be an Olympic feat of dexterity, but if he can do it, he'll be as good as free.

He rolls his shoulders and braces his feet as best as he can against the floor. _Here goes nothing._ It's another struggle, but after a few failed attempts, he manages to build the momentum he needs to propel himself forward and onto his feet. Once he's standing, having his wrists taped to his knees means that he has to bend over, which only adds to the challenge of trying to balance with his crossed ankles. He foresaw these issues, but he needed to try it out before he could really know if it would be possible. Now that he's done it, he's still not entirely convinced. Every nanosecond that ticks by makes him even more wobbly. He stands there, hunched and teetering precariously, for a few nerve-wracking moments before he makes up his mind: there's only one way to find out.

He starts to turn on his heel, but that alone throws off his balance enough that he knows he's about to fall on his face. He leans back instead — better to land on the mattress — but he miscalculates, his ass skims the edge of the bed, and he goes thumping down onto the floor.

So much for as good as free.

He squirms around some more, but he knows there's no hope of getting up from this. Maybe, _maybe_, if he could grab the bed frame and use it to pull himself up... He plays that scenario out in his mind and doesn't see it going anywhere useful.

With nothing better to do, he lets his thoughts wander. He wonders if Jun really is cooking dinner; he could definitely go for a good meal after this workout. He remembers what Jun said about it being "unsafe" to leave him alone like this — he thinks the word in a whiny imitation of Jun's voice — and he knows Jun must be nearby. He lets out a particularly loud groan just to give him an earful.

He doesn't mean to _summon_ Jun, because honestly he'd be happy to lie here and enjoy being tied up for a while, so it's a surprise when he hears Jun's voice in the doorway.

"Jeez, on the floor already?" Nino has to crane his neck to see him, sideways in his tilted vision, strolling across the room. Jun kneels beside Nino and appraises the tape around his wrists and knees, his ankles, his face, and reaches out to smooth down the edges that have started to curl up. "I heard you fall but I didn't think you'd have made it this far. You got some good distance."

Nino mumbles a barely intelligible _Thank you._ Jun laughs and pats Nino's butt before scooping him up princess-style and depositing him back onto the bed.

Jun settles in beside Nino and reaches under his arms to undo his belt and jeans. He pulls the jeans and boxers over Nino's hips, tugging them down his thighs until they're out of the way, and then he reaches for the top drawer of the nightstand and comes back with the bottle of lube. Nino really would have been perfectly happy on the floor by himself, but this is great too.

As Jun gets to work, Nino realizes that this position puts his ass on perfect display. It's just on the right side of embarrassing, and Nino can't suppress a shiver as Jun coats his fingers and nudges one inside. He goes slow at first, taking his time, gradually picking up speed and then withdrawing to add a touch more lube before coming back with two fingers. Nino moans happily, and by the time Jun works up to a third finger, everything is starting to feel a little dreamy and floaty.

When Jun withdraws and reaches again for the nightstand, Nino perks up, excited for what he's certain is going to happen next.

But Jun doesn't pull out a condom like Nino was expecting.

He drops the lube back in, and then he closes the drawer.

Nino makes a panicked noise and starts wiggling his hips like he can entice Jun back, but Jun isn't persuaded. "Try again," he says. "Let's see how far you can get this time."

After Jun leaves, Nino spends a few minutes fuming — and, underneath that, thinking about how ridiculously hot this is — before eventually digging up the energy to start moving again. He thought having his pants around his thighs would make it more difficult, but his mobility is already so limited that it doesn't make that much of a difference. He maneuvers his way back down the length of the bed, and when he swings himself forward to sit upright and plant his feet on the floor, he tries to get a more solid footing than he did the first time. If he doesn't make it now, he's not sure he'll see the point in trying again.

He takes a breath, steadies himself, and gives it another go.

It takes another few tries to get his weight off the bed, but now that he knows what to expect, once he does get up he actually manages to establish a fairly steady balance. He knows, however, that the longer he stands here like this, the more precarious that balance becomes. Before he can talk himself out of it, he sucks in another breath and attempts a hop towards the dresser.

He doesn't even come close to sticking the landing. He falls almost instantly to his knees and then tips to the side, landing in a defeated, breathless heap.

As he lies there panting, he accepts the reality that walking, skipping, or hobbling over to the dresser when he's in this position is likely impossible. _Dammit,_ he thinks, _Jun is too good at this._

He spends the next few minutes squirming mere inches closer to the dresser — because, impossible as it might be, what else is he going to do? — before Jun reappears in the doorway. He assesses the distance Nino has made this time and clicks his tongue in disappointment. "Not as impressive as I was hoping for."

Nino scowls as best as he can behind the tape.

Jun strides across the room, scoops him up, and deposits him right back onto the bed. He has only one thing to say before he turns around and walks out the door: "Keep trying."

Nino yells after him, but he doesn't come back.

With nothing left to do but squirm, Nino forgets the escape plan for now and allows himself to pass the time by reveling in everything he's feeling. They've barely even done anything and he's already tired and sweaty, his hips and knees are clearly upset with him for all the shit he's putting them through, and the rest of his body is thrumming with pent-up energy for which he has no release. Thanks to Jun, he has nothing at all. No way to get free, no words to fight back with, nowhere to go, and no options but to let Jun do whatever he wants.

It's frustrating and exhausting and downright intoxicating. Nino's never been the type to fall into sub space, but like this, when he's tied up and floating in the adrenaline that comes with losing a good fight, he gets pretty damn close. It makes the world around him go all soft and hazy, makes the constant chattering in his head quiet down.

He's not there yet, but he's definitely approaching it by the time Jun returns. Jun crosses the room and says, "Given up already, I see," and Nino doesn't even have a comeback for him.

Jun lies down alongside him and smacks his butt, grabs a handful and hums his approval. He starts rubbing his palm over Nino's skin, moving inward. "How should I fuck you, hm?" He slips a finger inside, down to the first knuckle — a promise of what's to come. "We could stay like this, or I could get you on your back..."

Nino mumbles under the tape, _I don't care, just do it!_ Jun's voice is pulling him out of the haze, and the urge to fight is slowly but surely creeping back in to replace it.

Jun gives a huff of laughter. "Be patient. You forget, there's one last thing we need to take care of before we get to that step." Nino makes a noise of questioning, and Jun leans down to whisper in his ear, "The magic word, Kazu."

Nino scrunches up his nose. Jun hasn't gotten nearly close enough to earning that. Sure, he managed to restrain Nino so thoroughly on the first try that he can't get out, but anyone who can follow a set of instructions could do that. That's not why they're here.

Jun doesn't seem the least bit perturbed by Nino's reaction. He sighs, "Oh well," and slips another finger in, going deeper this time. He doesn't say anything else as he keeps moving his fingers, methodically working his way back up to three. It's good, but he's going too slow for Nino to get anywhere near an orgasm. The seconds tick by into minutes, and Nino keeps thinking that soon Jun will be as bored as he is and move on to something better, but Jun is as stubborn now as always.

Nino is quickly approaching restlessness. He doesn't even realize he's started squirming impatiently until Jun says, his voice all saccharine-sweet, "Ready yet?"

Nino grunts his response.

"It's just one little word."

Nino bites down on the sock in his mouth and grinds out a slurred _Go to hell._

Jun clicks his tongue. "That's not a very nice way to treat someone who's contemplating whether or not to give you an orgasm."

Nino clenches his fists and makes a noise of frustration as he tenses against the restraints, but the tape doesn't budge. He huffs out a sigh, and then a startled moan when Jun shifts so he's at the right angle to start stroking his fingertips over Nino's prostate.

All at once, Nino's body goes limp, his eyes fluttering closed. Jun doesn't stop, and the pleasure that washes over Nino sends him drifting back into that dreamy headspace. When Jun slows down and asks, "How about now?", it's merely an annoyance, perfectly ignorable, like static in the background of his favorite song. Nino doesn't respond, and Jun keeps working.

But the longer Jun goes, the more Nino realizes that it's still not enough. It's good, yes, but Jun's not speeding up, not building towards anything, and after a while, the insistent push of his fingers only makes Nino want more. He tilts his hips forward, then back, trying to — he doesn't even know what, he just needs something more, _anything_.

Jun's voice cuts through the haze again. "It's so simple, Kazu." He pushes his fingers in deeper — no longer a promise but a cruel tease. "'Jun-kun, please fuck me.' See? It's not difficult." He brushes Nino's prostate again, making him flinch, and then pulls out entirely with a theatrical sigh. "I'm beginning to think you don't even _want_ to come."

That does it.

Nino was so close to giving in and begging like Jun wants him to, but Jun being such a cheeky shit has yanked him right back into the fight. He does want to come, he wants it so fucking bad, but more than that, he wants to win.

It's time to do something drastic.

He mumbles something purposefully unintelligible, and when Jun leans in with a "Hm?", he does it again.

Jun asks, "Are you ready for the gag to come off so we can talk?"

Nino nods, as demure as possible, and waits for Jun to get up and walk to the dresser on the other side of the room. He comes back with the safety scissors and carefully cuts a line through the tape on Nino's face, then gently starts peeling it away. Nino helpfully lifts his head from the pillow so Jun can unwind it, and he even lets Jun pull the sock out of his mouth instead of spitting it out himself. It comes out covered in spit, leaving Nino's mouth feeling as dry as the Gobi, but he sucks on his teeth and tries to gather as much saliva as he can.

Jun doesn't notice, too busy folding the strip of used tape into a neat square before he sets it on the nightstand along with the scissors. When he turns back to Nino, it's with a prissy expression that Nino can't wait to wipe off his face.

Jun sidles up to him on the bed and says, "Now, where were we?"

Nino knows that what he's about to do is risky, and somewhere underneath the fading high of adrenaline and the mounting desperation to come, he remembers their last time together — remembers everything that went wrong because he was too stubborn to play nice. If he goes too far now, he's going to ruin it all over again, and after that he might not get another chance. Something tells him, though, that this is going to pay off.

"Jun-kun," he says, mimicking Jun's fake-pleading tone from before.

Jun leans in closer with a smug, expecting look in his eyes.

Nino hesitates, and then he thinks, _Fuck it._

He spits in Jun's face.

Immediately, Jun flinches back with his entire body and his hand darts up to his face. He wipes Nino's spit off his cheek, and for a moment, all he does is stare down at his hand, processing what just happened. When he finally looks back up at Nino, his expression is genuinely shocked and more than a little pissed off. His mouth opens and then snaps shut again like he's struggling for words, or perhaps struggling to hold back what he really wants to say.

Nino feels a twinge of regret. Maybe this was a step too far after all.

Then Jun says, "You're going to pay for that," and his voice is so close to a growl — an actual _growl_ — that Nino's dick jumps in excitement.

He grabs Nino's chin in a painfully tight grip and shoves the sock back into his mouth, ranting as he goes, "You've lost your speaking privileges, you little shit — I'm gonna make you beg and even _that's_ not gonna save you —"

Nino is so delighted that he doesn't even spit the sock out this time.

Jun lets him go and moves to the nightstand, yanking the middle drawer open so hard that Nino is briefly afraid it's going to fly out. As Jun's eyes flicker over the contents, Nino finds himself holding his breath in anticipation of what Jun will choose. More tape? Maybe some rope? When Jun decides and pulls out his weapon of choice, Nino's eyes go wide. This is even better than tape or rope.

Jun slams the drawer closed and tosses the dildo onto the mattress next to Nino, where it lands with a comical jiggle. Nino had almost forgotten it was in the drawer — he only keeps it there for those lazy days when he's already in bed and doesn't feel like getting up to fetch the box — but seeing it now fills him with jittery excitement. He's struggling again as Jun grabs him by the collar of his shirt and pulls him upright.

Jun slides onto the bed to kneel behind him, close enough that his knees are framing Nino's hips, and whines in a mockery of Nino's voice, "'I'm not one of your obedient subs' — you're lucky you're not one of mine, they get _caned_ for the kind of shit you've been pulling." He plucks the sock out of Nino's mouth and flings it away. "If it were up to me I'd strap you to the chair and take a paddle to your ass 'til you _cry_."

Nino knows exactly what he's talking about: the custom-built chair that sits in his living room, waiting for a hapless sub. He probably made Ohno kneel over it that very afternoon for talking out of turn. The image just eggs Nino on. He starts running his mouth again, talking fast because he knows he has limited time and because he needs a way to dispel some of the frenetic energy that's been building inside of him at the sight of Jun losing his cool. "Is that why you need a fake cock, huh? I bet this whole begging thing was just a delay tactic — you can't even get it up to fuck me if you can't use all your fancy equipment, is that it? You don't even —"

And then Jun grabs his jaw and shoves the dildo straight to the back of his throat.

Nino's gag reflex sets off immediately, his whole body going rigid in an instant. He tries to jerk away, but with Jun so close behind him, he has nowhere to go. He tries to protest, but the sound comes out choked, wordless. He turns his head, and Jun follows him. All he can do is gag and struggle and try to fight against the increasingly real threat of retching right there in the middle of his bed.

Completely at a loss for what else to do and suddenly grateful for Jun's foresight, he does something that, in all the years he's been playing like this, he's never once needed before now: he taps one of his hands frantically against his knee.

Thankfully, Jun notices. He pulls out and lets Nino heave in a breath of air as his whole body shudders.

And then he comes right back, going as deep as the first time, making Nino splutter and gag.

He doesn't hold it as long this time around, somehow knowing exactly when to pull back — was he fucking _timing it_? — but it's still long enough that when he retreats again, Nino can't hold back the sob that bubbles out of his wrecked throat.

And then Jun does it again. 

He keeps going like this, gaining speed, fucking Nino's mouth and pushing just a little too deep on each stroke, pulling out a beat before it becomes too much and letting Nino breathe for one mind-numbing second, then going back in for more. Nino fights as hard as he can, but Jun wraps his other hand around Nino's throat and holds him tight enough to keep him in place, squeezing tighter as a warning every time Nino tries to lurch away.

A voice in the back of his mind, the only part of it not blasting the fight-or-flight klaxon at full volume, reminds him, _This is what you wanted, isn't it?_ No way to get free, nowhere to go, no options but to clench his hands and kick his feet and choke down a mouthful of silicone cock.

Jun hisses in his ear, "This is what happens when you can't be trusted to have your mouth free."

Nino doesn't have a response for that. He couldn't give one even if he did.

His body is starting to feel like it's going haywire. He's sweating and flushed red-hot from head to toe, his chin is covered in drool, and his eyes are brimming with reflexive tears; he can feel his heartbeat thundering against his ribs, in his throat, in his wrists and all the other places on his body that are straining against the tape. Earlier, when Jun pulled this stunt with his fingers, it lasted seconds but felt like minutes, and now it feels like _hours_. When Nino realizes that fighting against it isn't going to work, he tries to roll with it instead, tries to flatten his tongue and open his throat to take it, but he's never been good at this — Jun _knows_ he's never been good at this — and every time he thinks he's got it, Jun pulls out and he has to start all over again.

Right when he starts to feel like it's too much, like all of it is _really_ too much, when that distant voice in the back of his mind wonders if Jun is going to keep this up until Nino gives in for real and snaps his fingers in defeat — that's when Jun stops. He pulls the dildo out and drops it onto the bed, then snakes an arm around Nino's stomach to tug him backwards, until Nino's hips are flush against Jun's crotch and thighs, his shoulder blades against Jun's chest. Jun's hand stays wrapped around Nino's throat to keep him pinned, but Nino doesn't even try to struggle. He feels like he's been hit with a stun spell from one of his games, all shaky and light-headed and unable to do anything but breathe in huge, raspy gulps of air because he's afraid Jun is going to start up again any second.

Even through the frenzy in his mind, now that their bodies are pressed together, he can feel how hard Jun is. Jun starts to grind against him, his hips moving in small, controlled thrusts. The hand on Nino's waist moves lower to grasp his dick.

Nino's answering moan cuts off into a cough.

As Jun keeps going, Nino thinks, _Okay,_ now _he's going to fuck me._ But after a few moments, Jun stops and lets him go. He shoves Nino back onto his side, slaps his ass hard enough to make him yelp, and gets up off the bed. Nino has to crane his neck to try and see him: he's flushed but doing his best to compose himself. He straightens out his clothes, sweeps his hair back into place, and says, "Now that that's out of my system, I can figure out how to deal with you."

Nino repeats hoarsely, "Deal with me?"

On his way to the door, Jun pauses to level Nino with an icy glare. "You thought that was it?"

Nino rasps after him, "Jun-kun, wait —"

He's already gone.

Once again, Nino is alone. He's still panting, still feeling like he's about to shake apart from the inside out. Maybe Jun thought that was going to knock some of the fight out of him, but he's even more ready to fight now than he was when they started.

He takes a moment to blink the tears from his eyes and try to wipe his spit-covered chin on the bedspread — he's only marginally successful — and then he starts looking around, trying to find something to work with. There must be something he didn't notice before. He rolls onto his back and tips over onto his other side so he can see the rest of the room.

He spots it right away.

Jun left the safety scissors on the corner of the nightstand.

Nino doesn't even stop to think about it. He starts worming his way across the mattress, dragging his heels and shimmying his hips and knocking that godforsaken dildo off the bed in the process, until he's so close to the edge that he's worried he might knock himself off too. He angles his hips forward to get himself that much closer, stretches his stubby fingers out as far as they'll go — and then, finally, he feels his fingertips brush against the handle of the scissors.

He's so jittery that he nearly _drops_ them as he's nudging them off the nightstand, but he adjusts his grip at the last second and holds on for dear life. His wrists are taped so tightly that maneuvering the scissors takes some careful effort, but he manages to rearrange them in his fingers so that they're pointed downward. He opens them wide enough to fit the blades around the edge of the tape.

He's home free.


	4. Chapter 4

Jun walks in right as Nino is pulling the tape off his knees. Nino is so busy unwinding it that he doesn't notice at first, but when he looks up, Jun is standing stock-still in the doorway, his eyes huge. He catches Nino's gaze, and the look on his face changes from disbelieving to furious.

"_Really_, Kazu?"

Nino swallows the sudden lump in his throat. "Uh."

Then Jun is in motion, storming across the room in long, heavy strides. Nino makes a feeble attempt to scramble away, but with his ankles still bound, he ends up splayed diagonally across the bed — and then Jun is on him, rolling him onto his stomach and wrenching his arms behind his back, digging a knee between his thighs to hold him in place. He pins both of Nino's wrists with one hand and uses the other to pull Nino's head back by his hair.

Nino shouts at the pain, but Jun is talking over him. "Are you doing this because you want to be done, or are you really this much of a brat?"

Nino grits his teeth in response, unwilling to give in even now.

Jun yanks his head back farther and growls, "_Answer me_. Do you want to be done?"

And Nino — despite how exhausted he is, despite how badly he wants to come and take a hot shower, despite how easy it would be to say "Nintendo" or snap his fingers — he goes limp in Jun's grasp and huffs out a "_No_."

Despite _everything_, this is the longest, most thrilling session he's had in a very long time, and he's not ready for it to be over.

Jun releases him with a shove. "Good." He settles his weight over Nino's thighs, keeping him pinned, and starts pulling Nino's shirt off. Nino doesn't make it easy, but even with his arms unbound he has no leverage in this position, and before long Jun is flinging his shirt into a corner of the room, followed quickly by the tank top he had on underneath. He goes for Nino's belt next, tugging it loose and then pulling Nino's arms behind his back so he can secure them with it; he loops it above the elbows and fastens it as tight as it will go.

Nino can still bend his arms like this, so he's not exactly immobile, but having his elbows trapped so close together means his range is shot to shit. There's nothing he can do except move his hands out of the way to keep his fingers clear when Jun picks up the safety scissors and smacks Nino's bare ass with the handles. He yelps, trying to twist to the side, but Jun holds him down with a hand between his shoulder blades and does it again.

"That hurts, asshole!"

"Oh please," Jun scoffs. "That's the least you deserve. You should be grateful I'm not spanking you for real." The scissors go clanging onto the nightstand, and then Jun's palm comes down to rest gently over the spot he struck. "But if I can't punish you with pain," he says, moving his hand in soothing circles over Nino's skin, "I suppose I'll have to torture you with pleasure instead." Under normal circumstances Nino would laugh at something so trite, but now it sends a shiver down his spine, fueled by the way Jun leans in to whisper, "Lucky for you, I know how."

The instant Jun gets off of him, Nino is squirming again. He's thinking that if he can turn onto his side and bend his knees far enough, he'll be able to reach the tape around his ankles — but when he does turn, he sees that Jun is rifling through the closet, almost certainly looking for Nino's infamous collection of sex toys.

_Crap._ Nino reaches for that tape a little more fervently. If Jun is set on torturing him with pleasure, literally everything in Nino's stash will help him accomplish that.

He finally gets his ankles high enough that he can reach the tape with his fingers. He's just started pulling it loose when Jun emerges from the closet, looking triumphant with Nino's stash held in his arms. "A cardboard box? You know I can set you up with something nicer. I'll even give it to you as a gift."

Nino doesn't comment. He's too busy working on unraveling the tape.

Jun acknowledges his efforts as he walks back towards the bed. "Oh, be my guest. That's coming off anyway." He circles around so that he's behind Nino and sets the box on the mattress, and from the sounds that follow, Nino can tell he's looking through it. After a few seconds, Jun extends his arm into Nino's field of vision and shakes what he's holding to get Nino's attention: a plastic storage bag containing a vibrating plug, a set of batteries, and a wireless controller. "I'm assuming this is clean?"

"Of course," Nino huffs, still working on the tape. "I'm not an animal." He might be slovenly in other areas of his life, but at least he's careful about the things that go _inside_ him.

Jun climbs onto the bed and bats Nino's hands away from his ankles so he can pull the rest of the tape off by himself. He shakes it onto the floor and then grabs Nino by his hips, manhandling him back onto his stomach, pulling his jeans and boxers down his legs so he's completely naked.

Nino fights it, but after everything he's already been through, he's losing steam. Jun, on the other hand, is still full of pep as he nudges Nino's legs apart and settles between them.

Nino bites his lip to keep himself from making any embarrassing noises when Jun starts working the plug into him, but he can't help the little "Oh!" that escapes when it turns on. He knows from plenty of experience that this is a middle setting, and the vibrations combined with the way his dick is pressing into the mattress have him reduced to a useless, moaning heap within seconds.

Jun shifts behind him. "How's your jaw?"

All Nino can do is nod and rut against the sheets. This feels _so good_.

Jun stands and returns to the box. He shuffles through it for a while, then comes back around to the head of the bed so he can work a ball gag into Nino's mouth. Nino didn't think to catch sight of it, but he'd bet money it's the yellow one from last week. Jun is thoughtful like that.

He returns yet again to the box, shifting through its contents noisily like he wants Nino to know that he's taking stock of everything that's in there. When he comes back to Nino, it's to wrap something around his left wrist. Nino knows what it is just from the feel of it: a pair of sturdy leather cuffs connected by a short chain, with cushy padding on the inside and silver D-rings for padlocks. Jun tightens it around Nino's wrist and, from the sound of it, secures it with a padlock that he must have fished out of another plastic baggy Nino's been filling up over the years, all the locks color-coded to their respective keys. The corresponding cuff goes around Nino's left ankle, and once that one is padlocked as well, Jun fishes an identical pair of cuffs out of the box and repeats the process, cuffing and locking Nino's right wrist to his right ankle. Nino puts up a token struggle through all of it, but the belt looped above his elbows makes moving his arms difficult, and it certainly doesn't help that the plug still buzzing away inside of him is _really_ distracting.

When Jun is pleased with his work, he goes back to the box.

It's a little hilarious, Nino will admit, how many things are in there to sort through, but Jun takes his time like he's carefully appraising each and every item.

At one point he dangles a pair of brutal nipple clamps in Nino's periphery and says, "Only light pain, huh?"

Nino shakes his head, for real this time. Those are for _special occasions only_.

Jun seems to understand. He drops them back into the box and moves on to the next item.

By now Nino is starting to feel like an absolute wreck. He's already drooling around the ball gag, he's leaking precome all over the sheets, and even though he feels like he could lie here dry-humping his mattress forever, he knows it's not enough. So when Jun sits between his knees and Nino hears something else start buzzing somewhere behind him, he perks up. He looks back over his shoulder and catches a glimpse of a mean little egg vibrator in Jun's hands before Jun smacks his ass and says, "No peeking."

He feels it on his foot first. He jerks and squeals, earning a laugh from Jun, but it doesn't stay there long. The vibrations shift to trail down his calf, then up his thigh, making him twitch and cry out as Jun manages to find every ticklish spot Nino didn't even know he had. Jun trails it up the curve of Nino's ass, then straight down his cleft, skirting briefly around the butt of the plug that's already in him before coming to rest along his perineum. Nino whines, completely beyond his control, and tries to press back against it, but Jun pulls back to match him until it's nothing but a feather-light touch — still too much to ignore, but nowhere near enough to get him off. Jun hums as he starts running it up and down, up and down, maintaining that feather-light touch the whole way, until Nino is keening and shaking and taut as a string.

He knows the cuffs won't give, but he tugs against them anyway. He's so desperate he can't think.

And then Jun moves the vibrator back up and presses it right against the edge of the plug.

Nino damn near _screams_. He presses his forehead into the mattress and moans, long and low. His cock is positively dripping at this point and he thinks frantically that if Jun holds it, he might actually be able to come like this —

Of course Jun doesn't hold it. After one long, glorious moment, he withdraws.

Nino cries out and tilts his hips back, trying to chase that feeling, but it's gone. _Fuck, fuck, fuck._

He feels Jun's hand rest gently over his thigh. "You're so hot like this," he says, his voice nearly a whisper. "So desperate to come." With one hand stroking Nino's thigh, he traces the vibrator back up Nino's leg, to his ass. He presses it against the plug again, long enough to make Nino's voice go shrill, and then retreats, leaving Nino gasping. The vibrator goes quiet, and in the next instant Jun is squeezing Nino's ass with both hands, then letting them hover there so his palms slide against Nino's skin as Nino continues humping the sheets. Jun lets out a slow breath. "Fuck, Kazu. I bet you'd do anything I tell you to right now."

Nino whimpers. He can't argue with that.

"Do you think you can get yourself off like this?"

If Jun wants him to do _that_, however, it's impossible. Nino knows that if he keeps rubbing against the bed like this he's more likely to chafe his dick than get anywhere near an orgasm, so he shakes his head and moans out a _No_ around the gag.

He can practically hear the smile on Jun's face when he says, "Good." He gets up and walks around the side of the bed so he can fist a hand in Nino's hair to pull his head up. "Doing okay?"

Nino makes his eyes as wide as possible and slurs out the words _Please let me come_ around the ball in his mouth. It sends spittle flying from his lips and he hopes some of it gets on Jun's goddamn pants.

Jun leans down, cupping a hand around his ear. "Care to repeat that?"

Nino grits his teeth against the ball and forces the word out again: _Please._ His neck hurts from straining against Jun's hold on his hair, and he can feel drool sliding down his chin, and he simply doesn't care anymore — all he wants is to come, he'll say anything for it.

Jun tweaks his nose before releasing his hair. "Didn't I tell you begging isn't an option anymore?"

As he turns to walk out the door, Nino shouts after him, _Fuck you!_ He gets no response.

He's left alone yet again, whining and writhing and drooling all over himself, feeling like he's _so close_ to an orgasm that's barely out of reach. He needs a little bit more, something firmer, like a hand, or a — a tongue — _god_, the thought of Jun's _mouth_ on his dick has him pulling against the cuffs again.

He tries briefly, frantically, to think of a way to get out of this, but he knows there isn't one. The tape could be cut, but the cuffs are locked, and after his earlier escape there's no way Jun would be foolish enough to leave the keys anywhere Nino could reach them. On top of that, the belt holding his elbows so close together means that even if he put in the effort of flipping onto his back and getting his hands in front of him, he still wouldn't be able to reach his dick. _Dammit,_ he thinks, not for the first time tonight: _Jun is too good at this._

He has no idea how long it's been when Jun returns. It isn't until he's standing next to the bed that Nino realizes he brought a damp washcloth and Nino's glass of water, now filled again. Jun sets them on the nightstand and reaches into his pocket for the remote to the plug, and when he turns it off, Nino moans before he can stop himself. He doesn't even know if it's from relief or disappointment. At this point, it's probably a little of both.

Jun unbuckles the belt around Nino's arms and sets it aside, then hoists him upright by his shoulders, tugging him this way and that until he's kneeling with his back to the headboard. Jun pulls the ball gag out of his mouth, lets it drop to hang around his neck, and before Nino can think of something mean to say, Jun is holding the glass of water to his lips and making him drink.

Nino didn't realize how parched he was, but he gulps down half the glass before Jun pulls it away. "You," he gasps, taking it one breath at a time, "are the nicest — dungeon master — ever."

Jun lets him take another sip and then dumps the rest of the water over his head.

Nino jolts as the ice-cold water spills down his face and onto his chest. He shakes his head like a dog, but it's still dripping from his hair. He glares at Jun through wet eyelashes and thinks that maybe if he's lucky, some of it will drip onto his dick and provide some relief.

Jun sets the glass on the nightstand and shoves all the pillows off the bed, so that when he manhandles Nino back down onto the mattress, he's lying flat on his back. The short chains on the cuffs mean that his arms are stretched down along his sides and his ankles are pulled right up against his ass, leaving him almost no wiggle room, and with no pillows either, he has to strain to look up and watch as Jun returns to that infernal box.

Judging by the look on his face, neither relief nor Nino will be coming any time soon.

"Hey Kazu," Jun says, not looking up from the items he's sifting through. "I have an idea I think you'll love, since you're clearly in such a playful mood. I give you three options, and you pick which one you want me to use on you."

Nino scowls. That cold water splashed some fighting spirit back into him. "How about the option where you go fuck yourself?"

One of Jun's eyebrows twitches upwards in annoyance. "What was that? You want those nipple clamps to be one of the options? Well, if you insist."

While Jun deliberates, Nino takes some time to center himself. It helps that the plug is still off and that, even though Jun dumping the water over his head was a real dick move, it was actually pretty refreshing. He stares up at the ceiling and makes a conscious effort to unclench his jaw and hands, and he fights the urge to hump the air because he doesn't want to give Jun the satisfaction of being able to mock him for it.

Finally, Jun presents his options: the nipple clamps, a cock ring, and a bottle of desensitizing gel.

Nino can't hide his grimace. The ring _and_ the gel, really? "That's not fair," he whines.

"Oh," Jun says, feigning innocence, "I didn't realize you wanted fair." Nino groans and drops his head back down — he doesn't even want to _look_ at any of those things — but Jun says, "If you don't pick, I'm using all three."

Nino shouts in frustration and does his best to weigh his three awful options. He wants to come so badly that he dismisses the gel without a second thought; a touch too much and that shit can last for _hours_. The cock ring is almost as bad, but it does have the benefit of being able to come off whenever Jun decides he's ready. Of course, there's no telling how long it'll be before Jun makes that decision. Nino's treacherous brain follows that up with an image of Jun putting the ring on him and keeping him like this indefinitely, for hours, days —

Nino forces himself to shut down that train of thought before it makes him somehow even more turned on. No, the cock ring has to go.

But if those two are out, that leaves —

Jun starts humming the countdown jingle from a trivia show.

Nino snaps, "Fine! Gimme the clamps."

He picks his head up off the mattress in time to see the genuine delight in Jun's eyes. "I really thought you were gonna pick the cock ring."

Nino grouses, "Sorry to disappoint," but it's clear Jun isn't disappointed at all. Still, even though Nino knows beyond any shadow of a doubt that Jun is fully capable of making dudes bawl with those things, he trusts that Jun will go easy on him.

_Well,_ Nino thinks, feeling his still-sore throat. _Relatively easy._

Jun drops the ring and gel back into the box and walks around the bed so he can grab the ball gag still hanging around Nino's neck and fit it back into his mouth. He reaches into his pocket as he gets onto the bed — Nino twitches when the plug buzzes back to life — and then he's leaning over Nino, propping himself on one hand planted into the mattress over Nino's shoulder. The other hand holds up the clamps, two metal clips capped with black rubber and connected by a long, thin chain that dangles down to brush Nino's chest. It's all shiny silver, kind of pretty, actually, the way a poisonous flower or a deadly animal is pretty: nice to look at, but if you know what it's capable of, just looking makes you nervous.

Like Jun.

He lowers the clamps and lets the chain pool between Nino's collarbones. He drapes himself over Nino, gets his mouth on one of Nino's nipples as he teases the other one with his fingertips, and then he switches sides. He devotes a few minutes to nothing but this, lavishing Nino's nipples with his mouth — still gentle for now, but Nino can't shake a whisper of apprehension because he knows the gentleness won't last.

When Nino's nipples are all perked up, Jun leans back enough to meet his eyes and says, "Snap your fingers." At Nino's startled blink, he adds, "Show me you still can."

Nino obeys, snapping the fingers of his left hand once, and the sharp sound of it makes Jun smile. It's not the cruel smile from before; this one is happy, totally sincere, and the spark in Jun's eyes makes it look a little giddy, too. He leans back down and gets his mouth on Nino's collarbone, and with no further warning, he fixes the first clamp over Nino's left nipple. Nino flinches and grunts, feels Jun's teeth on his skin, and then the second clamp snaps into place. This one makes him flinch too, but once they're both on, Nino tells himself it's not that bad. He can deal with this, no problem.

Then Jun pinches one of the clamps tighter, and Nino spits out a _Fuck!_ around the gag. He can feel the curve of Jun's mouth as he smiles against Nino's throat. He does it again on the other side, harder this time, keeping his fingers pinched tight until the pain makes Nino cry out, and then he scrapes his teeth over the corner of Nino's jaw to draw the sound out further.

He eases off after that, leaning back until he's sitting upright again. Nino sucks in a breath to steel himself when Jun reaches for the chain, but all Jun does is hold it. His other hand starts moving soothingly up and down Nino's chest, over his sternum, from the bottom of his ribs up to his clavicle and back down again. He's saying as he goes, "I have a pair just like this at home. You know what I like to do with them?" His tone is conversational, like they're discussing dinner. Nino's only response is a wordless noise that sounds a little closer to a squeak than he intended. "Sometimes," Jun continues, "I'll wrap the chain around a bit gag, make it nice and taut, so every time you move..." He twirls the chain around his finger to demonstrate and tugs hard enough to make Nino whimper. "You think you'd enjoy that?"

Nino shakes his head, acutely aware of how it would feel if the chain really were attached to the gag in his mouth.

Jun's own mouth is quirking up into a smile. "No, I didn't think so." He purses his lips like he's contemplating something, and then the hand on Nino's chest starts trailing downward, Jun's fingertips gliding across Nino's skin so lightly that it almost tickles, until he reaches Nino's cock and wraps his fingers around it. Still with that maddeningly casual tone, he says, "Maybe I'll do it anyway." His fingers begin to stroke, he tugs on the chain to make Nino flinch, and when he speaks again his tone has changed, his voice now soft and silky smooth. "After all, you can't stop me, can you?"

Nino's answering moan has as much to do with Jun's words as it does Jun's hand on his cock. He knows Jun wouldn't do that, but the thought of it — of Jun taking what he wants, _anything_ he wants, no matter how hard Nino fights or protests —

Nino feels overwhelmed all over again, and Jun looks like he's just about there too. He keeps stroking and reaches with his other hand to rake his nails down Nino's stomach, low enough that the chain still looped around his finger pulls at the clamps and makes Nino whine. He smooths his hand back up Nino's torso, his palm gliding over the red lines he scratched into Nino's skin, until he reaches Nino's chest and twists one of the clamps. Nino barely succeeds in choking back a wail, but when Jun lets go of his cock so he can do it again, both at once this time, Nino can't stop the sound it wrenches out of him.

The pain has him reeling for long enough that he only vaguely registers Jun leaning over him, but the sound of Jun pulling the nightstand drawer open snaps everything into focus. When Jun sits back up, he's holding a condom and the lube and starts opening his pants so he can shuck them down his thighs to prepare himself.

It's pretty obvious what's happening, but he says it anyway: "Gonna fuck you now." The sound of his voice — barely contained, all husky with arousal — has Nino nodding his enthusiastic approval. Jun fucking him sounds like a _great_ idea right now.

Jun gets the condom on, gets himself slicked up. He remembers belatedly to reach into his pocket so he can turn the vibrator off and slide it out of Nino, flinging it carelessly to the side once it's out. Nino is watching him the whole time, breathing a little fast from the lingering pain and the anticipation of what's about to happen. He's been looking forward to this all day.

They both moan as Jun pushes inside — Nino shamelessly, Jun quietly, like he's trying to hide how affected he is, but after all this time, Nino knows exactly how to read him. There's a moment, right as he's bottoming out, when he has this delighted, almost incredulous look in his eyes. Nino understands it immediately, doesn't even have to wonder: they've done this so many times before, and for so many years they thought they'd never do it again. And now here they are.

The moment passes, and Jun starts moving, going slow at first. He leans over Nino with his right hand planted into the mattress beside Nino's head, and he uses his other hand to grab the chain between the cuffs on Nino's wrist and ankle so he can hitch Nino's leg up higher, angle in deeper. Nino doesn't fight any of it. He has no brainpower left for keeping up the game, for pretending he doesn't want this. He wants it _so bad_, they both know he does, and now that Jun's giving it to him, he doesn't care about anything else. He's spiraling back into that dreamy headspace, floating on just the right amount of pain and the utter helplessness of being bound and gagged and pinned in place by the cuffs and the weight of Jun's body. In this moment, Nino's mind is completely, blissfully blank.

Jun picks up speed as he finds his rhythm, finds the angle that makes Nino see stars on every thrust. He drags his nails down Nino's ribs to make him shiver, and then he shifts lower, propped on his elbow now, so he can duck his head and lick a broad stripe over the clamp around one of Nino's nipples. The mix of pleasure and pain draws a gasp out of Nino, his body arching up all on its own, and it's like the sight of it sparks something in Jun. He reaches for the chain linking the clamps and winds it around his fist, and every now and then he tugs on it just hard enough to make Nino cry out. The whole time, his gaze stays locked on Nino, taking in every flinch, every hitched breath, every shudder that starts in his shoulders and runs down his spine.

There's a look on Jun's face that Nino recognizes even through the haze: his bottom lip caught between his teeth, his eyes dark and intensely focused beneath his knotted eyebrows. It's been years since Nino has seen this particular expression, but he knows exactly what it means. Jun is right on the cusp.

Jun's hips speed up as he gasps out, "Breathe for me."

Nino sucks in a breath, knows what's coming, and at the very end of it, right as he's about to exhale, Jun yanks the clips off. Nino's breath comes out in a choked scream that doesn't quite cover up Jun's moan, but Jun keeps going, shifting his hips so he's hitting deeper, harder. He throws the clamps to the floor and grabs Nino's chin, turning his head an inch to the side so he can scrape his teeth down the column of Nino's throat hard enough to make him gasp.

With Jun this close, Nino can hear the sounds he's making, the constant stream of soft, grunting moans, the pitch of his voice rising at the end of each one. His fingers on Nino's chin slide lower to circle his throat, right below the curve of his jaw, while his other hand reaches back to hook under Nino's knee and hike his leg higher. The shift in angle makes Nino feel even more like he's bolted in place, almost claustrophobic from the way Jun is crowded in against him, not letting him move, not letting him feel anything but Jun's hips snapping into his, Jun's fingertips digging into his skin, Jun's teeth clamping down over his racing pulse.

Jun thrusts hard enough to nudge Nino up the bed — once, twice — and then goes still, his breath stuttering out in a hoarse moan.

For a long moment he stays there, panting against the hollow of Nino's throat, until he manages to uncurl his fingers from Nino's jaw and ease his leg back down. His whole body relaxes all at once as he presses his forehead against Nino's shoulder and starts to catch his breath.

When Nino makes a small, restless noise and rolls his hips up, Jun startles back into motion. He reaches down so he can hold the condom in place as he pulls out, the feel of it making both of them grunt, and then sits up so he can tie it off and fling it onto the floor.

Nino's heart is already drumming a thunderous beat against his ribcage, and it starts drumming faster when he sees Jun reach for the bottle of lube that's still lying beside them on the mattress. He uncaps it and squirts some into his hand, rubs his palms together to warm it up, and then he's wrapping his fingers around Nino's cock, sliding up and down the length of it, twisting his wrist, making sure that every inch is slick and ready, from the base all the way to the tip. Jun touching his dick with this much careful attention would feel incredible no matter what, but the slickness amplifies every touch, every flick of Jun's wrist, every squeeze of those long, nimble fingers. Nino finds himself so caught up in what Jun is doing to him that he allows himself to believe this is it — that Jun is going to give him what he wants. He tilts his head back and doesn't even try to hold in the keening noises Jun is drawing out of him. He lets his eyes drift closed, lets his legs splay open, lets himself think of nothing but how good Jun is making him feel.

This is it — this must be it — Jun is finally going to let him have it.

Jun, of course, does not let him have it.

When he pulls away right as Nino's toes were starting to curl, Nino's whole body jumps like he's been shaken out of a dream. He twists up, shouts _No!_ around the gag, but Jun doesn't even look at him as he gets up off the bed. He wipes his hands with the washcloth he left on the nightstand, smooths out his hair, starts tugging his pants back up his thighs, all while Nino is throwing unintelligible curses at him. He's practically aglow in the wake of his orgasm, and the sight of him infuriates Nino because it's the _exact fucking opposite_ of how he feels: too tense, too hot, tingly everywhere Jun pulled and scratched and bit and dug in, and so desperate that he feels like he's going to implode if Jun doesn't come back to him right this second and start touching him again.

Jun looks at him, briefly, with one eyebrow raised over a lazy smirk as he buttons his pants.

Nino switches tactics. He makes his eyes big and round, offers an imploring whimper.

Jun turns and walks out the door.

Nino screams after him, really _screams_, and it dispels a mere fraction of the anger he feels rumbling in his chest. He allows himself a single moment to grit his teeth and breathe. And then he gets moving.

He starts trying to flip onto his side so that he can move back onto his stomach, because even dry-humping the mattress some more would be better than nothing, but even as he's doing it, his mind is racing to formulate a plan. Now that the belt around his elbows is gone, he's thinking maybe if he can get his arms up over his knees, he can shift the cuffs enough that he'll be able to reach his dick —

As soon as he gets on his side, he goes still.

Jun is watching him from the doorway. He doesn't say anything, but the way his eyes are narrowed and his lips are pursed says it all for him.

They stare at each other, unblinking, for about three seconds. Then Nino is in motion again, frenzied enough to rattle the short chains on the cuffs. He has absolutely no plan beyond the need to move, to try to roll to the other side of the bed, away from Jun who's stalking across the floor with the long-suffering sigh of someone whose work is never complete.

Nino makes it all the way to the edge of the mattress, but Jun yanks him back to the middle of the bed and holds him in place with a hand in his hair — Nino is getting _really_ tired of that — as his other hand pulls open the middle drawer of the nightstand. After a few moments of searching, he retrieves a bundle of white nylon rope and releases Nino so that he can thread it through the D-rings of the cuffs on Nino's right wrist and ankle, pulling them in tight enough that Nino doesn't even have the slack of the chain between them. Then he leads the rope down the side of the mattress and starts tethering it to the bed frame. Nino is cursing at him the whole time, but Jun works silently, meticulously, knotting the rope and pulling another bundle from the drawer so he can walk around the bed and repeat the process on Nino's left side.

When he's done, he tickles Nino's feet just to see Nino flail until he's satisfied that the rope is holding him the way Jun wants it to. As a finishing touch, he glances around to find the nipple clamps discarded on the floor, and then he puts those back on too.

Nino is so furious that even as Jun starts jerking him off again, he's still swearing and struggling, all of it futile, because he knows Jun isn't anywhere near done yet.

As Nino is wrenching against the cuffs after Jun pulls away, Jun cleans his hands with the washcloth again and says, "Maybe when I come back, your attitude will have changed."

Nino wouldn't fucking bet on it.

Jun leaves, and in his absence, Nino's frustration builds and builds, fueled by the antsy restlessness he's starting to feel because he has nothing to do. He's anchored so tightly to the bed frame that he can't wriggle around like he could before; he can't pull his arms or legs in, can't turn onto his side or stomach — meaning he can't even hump the sheets, goddammit — and he definitely can't reach his dick. All he can do is lie there and clench his jaw around the gag in his mouth, struggle against the rope and the cuffs that he knows won't give, and feel his anger simmer away inside of him.

By the time Jun comes back looking chipper and fresh-faced, Nino has damn near reached a boiling point. Jun stands beside the bed and starts stroking Nino's dick, and when he says, as casual as anything, "You wanna come?", there's a serious battle going on between the two warring factions of Nino's brain: on one side of the battlefield, the primal urge to fight back; on the other side, the mounting desperation to get what he wants.

He teeters on the edge of saying something mean or sarcastic, but in the end he knows he'll probably regret it the instant the words leave his mouth. Instead he breathes in deep through his nose, summoning the superhero-level strength it takes to enunciate with careful precision around the gag for what feels like the hundredth time: _Please._

Jun's eyebrows shoot up in mock confusion. "What was that? I didn't quite catch it." He leans down to unbuckle the gag and set it on the nightstand — it takes monumental effort for Nino not to snap at Jun's fingers as soon as his mouth is free — and then he returns his hand to Nino's cock. "There we go, _now_ I can hear you. Try again."

Nino clenches his teeth so hard his jaw hurts. "_Please_."

Jun's grip on him tightens by the tiniest fraction. "Now say you're sorry."

Nino feels a vein in his neck twitch. _That's going too far._ He knows for sure that he's going to regret this, no "probably" about it, but he spits out anyway, "I'm sorry you're such a prick."

It's not his finest moment, but his brain is working on a limited blood supply. It's worth it, at first, to see the pinched frown on Jun's face, and then it's _not worth it at all_ when Jun starts stroking him brutally fast, getting Nino right up to the edge as quickly as possible — it really doesn't take that long — only to pull away at the last second. Then, with no warning whatsoever, he reaches out to unclip both of the nipple clamps at the same time.

Nino outright screams, curling in on himself as much as he can. For a moment he can't think, can't feel anything but the pain of blood rushing back to his skin. When his mind clears and he blinks the tears from his eyes, he feels a cold rush of dread at what he sees: the egg vibrator, back in Jun's hands like magic.

He tries to turn his hips away as Jun climbs back onto the bed, but of course it's useless. The click of the vibrator turning on is what pushes him into a panicked bid for mercy. "No no no, not again, _please_ not again —"

Jun leans over him and grabs him by the jaw to make Nino focus on him. His voice is hard, not to be argued with, when he says, "Snap your fingers so I know you can."

Nino swallows the sob building in his throat. His gaze flickers back and forth between Jun's face and the vibrator he's holding perfectly within view, its little egg shape whirring threateningly. Jun truly is a clever, sadistic bastard: if Nino shows him that he can still use his safeword, that he can still tap out — if he shows that he _isn't_ — it's the same as asking for more.

He wants to look away, but Jun's fingers on his jaw tighten painfully when he tries to move, so instead he squeezes his eyes shut and snaps his fingers. As soon as he does, Jun unhands him, leans back, and lowers the vibrator down onto one of Nino's nipples.

As his other hand returns to stroking Nino in loose, slow movements, he circles the tip of the vibrator a few times around Nino's nipple, then trails it across his chest so he can do the same thing on the other side. The vibrations are somehow both soothing and infuriating, lessening the pain but reminding him constantly that it's still there. If Nino hadn't been so hard for so damn long, he might even enjoy it, but now, knowing that Jun is still teasing, it feels like torture.

When Jun starts trailing the vibrator downwards, Nino cries out again, "Don't," but Jun's hand clamping tight around the base of his dick startles him into silence.

When Jun holds the pressure and runs the vibrator up and down the length of Nino's dick, Nino grasps at the rope threaded through the cuffs, just to hold on to _something_, and feels like he's going to scream.

When Jun starts tracing the tip of the vibrator around the head of Nino's cock, he nearly does.

He feels like he's on the very brink of his sanity, but Jun keeps at it, tightening his fingers around the base whenever Nino's voice starts to go shrill, easing up to let Nino catch his breath, and then coming back to do it all over again. By now Nino has zero willpower for trying to hold in the noises he's making, but after several achingly long minutes of this, he lets out a whimper that must sound especially pathetic, because something about it makes Jun pause what he's doing.

Nino seizes at this reaction. He gasps out a "Please," completely sincere this time. He is throwing in the towel if only Jun would accept it.

Jun rewards his sincerity by turning off the vibrator and setting it aside. He still has his other hand clamped around the base of Nino's dick, but now he loosens it so he can start stroking again. There's no feather-light teasing, no infuriatingly slow pace. He's jerking Nino off for real, with _purpose_, but he's also not saying anything, just watching Nino with a dark, hawkish gaze. Waiting.

Nino knows exactly what he's waiting for. He says it again, says it over and over — "Please, Jun, _please_, please let me come" — but Jun doesn't react. He keeps going, keeps stroking until Nino is seconds away from the finish line — "Pleasepleasepleaseplease —"

And then he slows down again.

Nino chokes back a frustrated scream as he pulls against the cuffs. He's starting to feel light-headed, like he can't quite manage to catch his breath. Jun rubs his palms over Nino's thighs, helping him come down, giving him time to relax.

And then he starts up again.

He does it again, and again, dragging Nino up to the edge of an orgasm and then yanking him away right before he steps over. He's been pulling this bait-and-switch act all night, but now it's coming rapid fire, one after another with almost no time for recovery in between, and it has Nino feeling more strung out than even he was prepared for. There was no way he could have prepared for _this_.

By the fifth time Jun yanks him back from the edge, Nino is trembling, nearly sobbing. He feels like everything his body is doing, from the quivering of his limbs to the tears pricking his eyes to the sounds spilling out of his mouth, is happening completely beyond his control.

All the anger has boiled away. What he's feeling now is pure desperation.

Jun has said nothing this whole time, but as he starts to gain speed once more, he speaks. His voice is barely loud enough for Nino to hear over his own blood rushing through his ears. "You think you're ready?"

Nino doesn't even have to think about his answer. "Yes, please —"

"You'll be good and do what I tell you to?"

"_Yes_, I swear —"

Jun's fingers tighten around him. "_Anything_ I tell you to?"

"Whatever you want, anything — I'll beg, I'll — I'll lick your boots, _anything_ —"

Even in his current state of devastation, Nino takes pride in the way Jun can't hold back a huff of laughter. But he's back in character as quickly as he broke out of it. The next time he speaks, it's in that low, husky tone, silky-smooth and utterly commanding all at once.

"Show me," he says. "Say it again."

Nino says it with no hesitation. "Please, please, please —"

"Say you're sorry."

"I'm so fucking sorry, I'll never do any of it ever again, I'm sorry, _please_ —"

"Say you loved the checklist."

Nino absolutely, one hundred percent cannot help himself: he picks his head up off the mattress to look Jun in the eye as he wails, "You want me to _lie_ to you?"

Jun withdraws, and Nino arches his hips clear off the bed in an attempt to follow his hand. He immediately starts babbling, "_I'm sorry_, I loved it, I loved it so fucking much, it's the sexiest thing I've ever laid eyes on, please just let me come please please pleasepleaseplease —"

Jun leans forward to clamp his free hand over Nino's mouth, and then he's stroking again. He starts off slow, but he's making it good, _so_ good — twisting on the upstroke, squeezing on the downstroke, using his thumb to rub circles over the hyper-sensitive head of Nino's cock, and his hands are slick and warm and mind-searingly perfect. He takes his time with it, drawing out every filthy porn-star noise Nino is capable of. Nino is still begging but it's wordless now, just one undulating, high-pitched moan that's muffled by Jun's palm pressed tight over his mouth. Nino feels half-hysterical with the certainty that Jun is going to stop again, and when he does Nino is going to break apart.

But Jun doesn't stop this time. He keeps going, keeps going, dragging Nino one last time to the edge and finally letting him tumble over.

When Nino comes, he fucking _howls_.

The orgasm washes over every part of him — from his scalp, still tingly from all of Jun's hair-pulling — to his arms, wrenching against the cuffs — all the way down to his curling toes — and it leaves him feeling hazy, almost numb. All the little discomforts of his body, the aching and the soreness and the exhaustion, they all disappear, and with them goes any coherent thought that was left in Nino's brain. All he can do is lie there twitching and whimpering beneath Jun's palm as the last staticky waves of pleasure spark through him, drawn out by Jun's fingers still stroking loosely.

When it's over, he goes limp and feels like he's seeping into the mattress. His eyes are closed, but he feels Jun's hands pull away.

For a long, quiet moment, everything is still.

He senses Jun looming over him — and then he feels Jun's lips press a soft kiss to his forehead.

He turns his head in Jun's direction, manages to crack his eyes open, but Jun has already moved out of view. As his heavy eyelids drift shut again, Nino feels the damp washcloth on his stomach, then his thighs. He hears the jingle of keys and feels Jun's hands on his skin, unwrapping the cuffs around his wrists and ankles. He's aware of it happening but it all feels far away, like the sound of a TV playing in the other room. Even the ache that returns when Jun starts laying his legs out straight is nothing more than a distant annoyance.

The mattress shifts as Jun sits down, and then his fingers settle on one of Nino's ankles, where he begins rubbing away the soreness and stiffness.

Nino wants to say something — some characteristically acerbic jab, some witty comment to make Jun laugh again — but trying to speak feels like wading through a dream. Only one thing comes out: "Jun-pon."

The mattress shifts again. Another kiss, on his knee this time.

Nino smiles and drifts away.


	5. Chapter 5

Nino stirs back into lucidity at the sound of Jun's voice. "C'mon, let's get you washed up. Bath or shower?"

"Shower," Nino mumbles. His body already feels warm and relaxed, surely thanks to whatever magic Jun worked on his joints while he was dozing off, but underneath that there's definitely a layer of grime. A shower sounds glorious.

Shuffling down the hall wakes him up a little, especially the part where he gets to poke fun at Jun for helping him along with two hands on his shoulders. Jun doesn't respond to his playful barbs, which seems a little strange, but Nino is still too tired to think much of it. In the bathroom, Jun makes him sit down as he warms up the water, and then he steps out into the hallway only after making sure that Nino is steady on his feet. As Nino starts rinsing off, Jun hovers in the doorway, looking apprehensive. "Do you want me to stay out here, just in case?"

Nino jokes, "What, so you can spy on me in the shower? Pervert."

Jun says nothing. His expression has gone totally flat.

Nino keeps talking as he soaps up. "You were doing that the whole time, weren't you? Waiting in the hallway? I knew you weren't really making dinner. You're way too much of a nerd."

"Oh, I'm sorry, next time should I leave you to choke and die?"

His voice sounds harder than their usual teasing, but Nino still laughs, and then laughs even more as an image pops into his head. "Jun-pon, you should work a pair of big dorky glasses into your dom wardrobe — oh, and a pocket protector! Do they make those in leather?"

"You're loopy from the endorphins, buddy."

"It's funny though, I'm just saying!"

Jun doesn't respond, and he doesn't say anything else after that either. Nino is in the middle of rinsing shampoo out of his hair, but when he wipes the water off his face and turns to look, Jun is gone.

He doesn't know why Jun is acting so weird, but he tries not to read too much into it. Jun probably just needs time to process everything that happened. Still, after Nino finishes showering, he listens to make sure he doesn't hear the front door as he dries himself off. He hangs up the towel and heads back to the bedroom, where he pulls on some sweats and a T-shirt and climbs into bed, grateful to find that while he was showering Jun replaced the bedding with a clean set from the closet.

He's nearly asleep again when Jun comes back. "Do you seriously live off of cup noodles? How do you not have any decent aftercare food?"

"I've never really needed it," Nino responds, voice muffled by the blanket he's cocooned himself in.

Jun's mouth purses up like he doesn't believe him. He leaves again, then comes back a minute later with a small package that he must have pulled from his bag in the kitchen. He throws it onto the bed and says, "Eat that. Please, for my peace of mind."

Nino extricates one hand from the blanket so he can pull the package into his cocoon. As he eats the almonds coated in dark chocolate and sea salt, he watches Jun move around the room, picking up stray lumps of tape, throwing Nino's clothes in the hamper, setting aside everything that will need to be sanitized and putting the rest back into the box or the drawer of the nightstand. When he's done, he sits on the edge of the bed and waits patiently for Nino to finish the almonds, and then he takes the empty package, along with the discarded tape and Nino's drinking glass, and leaves for the kitchen. He comes back with the glass filled and makes Nino sit up so he can drink.

Finally, as Jun is setting the glass onto the nightstand and Nino is worming his way back under the covers, Jun asks, "Can I lie with you?"

Nino lifts up the blanket and scoots over to make room. Jun slides in beside him and arranges a pillow behind his back so he can sit against the headboard, and then he pulls Nino in close, until Nino's head is resting on his thigh and his fingers are running softly through Nino's hair.

Nino doesn't mind any of it — as much as he puts up a fuss whenever Jun mentions it, with the right person he really does enjoy a good post-coital cuddle — but he's a little surprised. He thought Jun wanted a nap or something, and even after everything else they've done tonight, it somehow feels strange to be close like this after all the years of strictly platonic friendship. Is this just part of Jun's standard dom routine?

Nino closes his eyes and tries to drift back to sleep, but after a few minutes he can no longer ignore the urge to poke Jun's stomach and tell him, "Seriously, I don't need any of this aftercare stuff. I'm fine."

"Yeah," Jun says, "but I do."

Nino goes quiet. That had never even crossed his mind. Of course he's had partners who asked if he needed anything after a session, including Aiba, who, once Jun found out about them, must have been lectured on all the proper etiquette. But no one he's played with before has ever asked for it themselves. He puzzles it over for a minute, remembering their conversation on the phone and how Jun flat-out told him the comedown can be rough. Nino was so distracted by everything else they were talking about that he didn't think much of it at the time, but now he's cycling back through their other conversations, trying to recall if Jun said anything else about it.

There was that night on the phone, the meetings in Jun's office, the club... The memory of Hiyashi-san tugs at him. What were they talking about again? Something about technical details, a discussion panel they were putting together...

The memory hits him like a jolt: the fliers in Jun's shop — the one with Hiyashi-san's name listed right on it. _This month's topic: Tackling Top Drop._

_Holy shit,_ Nino thinks, is _that_ why Jun's been acting so weird? Nino's kneejerk reaction is that he would know if Jun struggled with something like that, but in the next instant he thinks, _Why would I?_ They managed to distance themselves from the private details of each other's sex lives so thoroughly that there's no way Nino _could_ know. And here he is, pulling Jun back in after more than a decade, asking him to be mean, when their last session together ended with Nino safewording out because Jun had gone too far.

Nino tilts his head up to see Jun's face, reaching under the covers to touch his leg. "Jun-kun," he says, quiet. "Was this okay?"

Jun's eyes are closed, but he opens them now to glance down. "Hm?"

"Is it okay that I asked you for this? Did I..." Nino stalls out, still unsure of what precisely to say. It feels almost too personal to ask, but after everything they just went through physically, after everything they've shared with each other, he feels like he owes it to Jun to be at least a little vulnerable emotionally. "Was it too much?"

Jun scoffs, but it sounds more teasing than offended. "More than I'm used to for sure, but no, not too much."

"So, that night on the phone, when you said the comedown can be rough..."

Jun says nothing for a long moment. Then, finally: "Yeah, it can be."

Nino pokes him again. "So then, right now, are you...?"

"I'm fine, Kazu."

Nino lets the comment sit, trying to decipher Jun's tone. Is he really fine, or is he extending an invitation for Nino to ask more about it?

Before he can figure it out, he feels Jun's muscles tighten, his fingers in Nino's hair going still. "Was it too much for _you_?"

Nino answers immediately, "God no!"

"Are you sure? Not even the —"

"Jun." Nino squeezes Jun's leg and stares up at him, waiting until Jun looks down to meet his eyes. Nino says, with absolute honesty, "It was perfect."

Jun keeps looking at him, like he's searching for something in Nino's expression. Whatever he finds there, it's enough to make him relax against the headboard, his eyes drifting shut again. "Good," he says. "That's all that matters to me."

He doesn't say anything else, but he's smiling as he continues running his fingers through Nino's hair.

Later, after Jun calls in an order for delivery, Nino says, "Aiba-chan told me pics or it didn't happen," so they crowd in shoulder-to-shoulder for a selfie: Jun flashes a cute V sign; Nino pulls a silly face. He sends it off to Aiba and captions it, _It happened._ When the food arrives, they unpack everything onto the living room table and eat on the couch, where they laugh at the massive string of thumbs-up emoji that Aiba responds with. Nino stretches out with his feet in Jun's lap and doesn't comment on the way Jun's hand stays resting on his leg, his thumb slowly stroking Nino's ankle.

Jun cleans up and leaves around midnight, and once he's gone, Nino goes straight to bed. He sleeps more soundly than he has in weeks.

x

As usual when Nino knows he's going to have a rough night, he made sure that the following day was free of any work or social obligations. It's the weekend and his body is sore, so what better excuse to hermit away in his living room playing Monster Hunter for hours? But around noon, his doorbell rings unexpectedly. He begrudgingly drags himself off the couch and is pleasantly surprised to find that it's Jun's voice grunting over the intercom, "Let me in so I can feed you."

Once he's out of his shoes, Jun beelines for the kitchen so he can unload the contents of a tote bag he brought with him: a box of slippery elm tea, a jar of honey, some bananas, and a steamy tupperware container that looks like it's filled with cooked vegetables and a fat, juicy hamburg steak. As he moves towards the water kettle on the counter with tea in hand, he notices the teapot that's already set out next to it. He reaches for it gingerly, feels that it's warm, and lifts the lid to take a curious sniff. When he turns to look at Nino, his eyebrows are raised way up.

Nino is already hiding his smile behind his hand. "Sometimes I actually do listen to your advice."

As Jun rummages through the cupboards looking for a clean plate, he says over his shoulder, "I can't stay long. Oh-chan's waiting in the car."

"In the trunk?"

His face is still turned away, but Nino can imagine the eye-roll perfectly. "That's next weekend, thanks. We're taking it easy today."

There's another question on the tip of Nino's tongue, but he hesitates. He watches as Jun stands at the counter and carefully spoons the food out of the tupperware, arranging it just so on the plate. When he turns around and Nino can see his face, he finally asks. "Why? Are you feeling all right?"

Jun glances up at him, then back down at the food he's carrying over to the table. He's still looking down when he says, "Yeah, just a headache. It's nothing."

Nino takes the plate Jun offers and spends a few seconds appreciating the fragrant steam that's wafting up to his face, and he uses that time to contemplate his response. He suspects that if Jun is going through something, what they did last night must be at least partially responsible, but it also seems clear that Jun doesn't want to talk about it. In the end Nino decides that he doesn't want to push him — they've both been pushed enough for a few days — so he says instead, "Well, I'm here if you ever need anything."

Jun narrows his eyes almost imperceptibly, and then his face blooms slowly into a smile. Now that he's standing still Nino can see how tired he looks, like his whole body is a little droopy, but in this moment he seems happy. "Thanks, Kazu."

Nino smiles in return. Maybe he'll ask about it later, when they're not both still in recovery mode and have more time to talk. Maybe this whole thing will re-open some doors in their relationship that have long been shut.

On his way out, Jun makes Nino promise to eat the bananas, and Nino jokes that he'll do it in front of Aiba so he'll have a witness who can report back. A few hours later, his phone pings with a message from the man himself: _Dinner tonight?_ Nino didn't plan on leaving the house today, but for Aiba-chan, he's happy to make an exception.

At their go-to ramen place, they chat about all the normal stuff, from Nino's boring office job to this week's issue of Shonen Jump — and, of course, how it went with Jun.

"It was fun," Nino says, grinning because he knows it's driving Aiba nuts not to have the juicy details.

"Okay but like how fun _was_ it? What kind of fun? Did you take any other pictures? Maybe some video? Can I watch next time? Will there be a next time?"

Nino says, "Maybe," and then slurps up a huge mouthful of noodles as Aiba throws his hands into the air and cries, "Which question are you answering!"

x

At Aiba's after dinner, they climb into bed and start watching some hidden-camera show on Aiba's tablet, and they're halfway through the third episode when Nino realizes that he is absurdly, inexplicably content. They haven't even hinted at having sex, and the show isn't all that funny, but something about simply being here with Aiba is strangely... perfect.

"Aiba-chan," he says, picking his head up from where it was resting on Aiba's shoulder. "Are we dating?"

Aiba smiles like he doesn't quite understand the question, or perhaps like he thinks Nino is joking. "What?"

"The other day, J said you said we're dating."

Aiba reaches out to pause the video, suddenly realizing that Nino is serious. "Should I not have?"

Nino hastens to explain, "No, it's fine that you did. I guess I just hadn't thought of it that way." He wants to be honest without coming off as callous; he's tired of not knowing where they stand, but he also needs Aiba to know that whatever the answer may be, Nino is happy with what they have. "It's been a while since I've for-real dated anyone, so it kind of caught me off guard, but... it would be nice. With you."

Aiba looks like he's waiting for more, and then, when it's clear there is none, he breaks out into his husky hyena laugh.

Nino feels his face pull into a frown. "Uh, excuse me? Laughter is generally not a good way to react to someone's heartfelt confession!"

"Nino," Aiba wheezes through his giggles, "that was so romantic!"

"What do you want me to do, write you a song? I'm pouring my heart out here!"

"A song would be good!"

Nino croons, "Aiba-chan~ You ruin the moment like no one else can~"

"Aaahh, so dreamy! I'm touched!"

Nino shoves Aiba, and Aiba shoves him right back, and then they make out for a few minutes before returning to the show. Everything about it is still absurdly, wonderfully perfect.

As they keep watching, though, Nino's mind starts to wander, not because he's bored but because he's feeling inspired. He's thinking about Jun again, and everything they did, and why they did it in the first place, and what he finally pieced together — what he spent their entire friendship not knowing. He's always prided himself on being able to read people, and now he's realizing there are things he might never know if he isn't willing to ask.

It takes a while to dig up the courage, but as the opening credits roll on a new episode, he reaches out to pause the tablet again. "Hey, Aiba-chan, I have another question. Do you, um... like what we do? The sex stuff?"

Aiba answers without hesitation. "Of course."

"Do you ever want something different? Or something more?"

"Honestly, I haven't really thought about it. I just like being with you."

Nino lets that answer sink in, gives himself a moment to scrounge up the last ounce of willpower he needs to push forward, and says tentatively, "So, if _I_ wanted more..."

Aiba immediately perks up. "What kind of more?"

"What if I wanted you to be... meaner?"

"Like calling you names and stuff?"

"No, not — not exactly." Nino sighs and sits up, because somehow it feels like he can think more clearly like that. Aiba sits up alongside him, still looking like he can't wait to hear what Nino's about to say. "Okay, for instance, that first night we got together. Remember how you had me on the floor with my wrists and ankles taped up?"

Aiba nods with enthusiasm that can only mean he is in fact remembering it in vivid detail.

"And you gave me ten minutes to escape, and when you came back I was still in exactly the same place."

"Uh-huh."

"I could've gotten out of that in about two minutes."

Aiba's smile is perhaps a touch skeptical. "No way. You suck at getting out."

"No I don't," Nino says, completely serious. "I'm really good at it. Ask J." Aiba's eyes light up, but Nino forges on before he can get too distracted. "I just don't do it that often because... I guess because I'm afraid you'd be scared off."

"Why would that scare me off?"

Nino glances away, suddenly feeling like it's too much to be saying all of this under Aiba's curious, sincere gaze. "Because I like to fight back. Really, _really_ fight back. Like — okay, this isn't what I want in real life, because you know how fantasies can be super outrageous, right, like what you want but turned up to eleven, so I don't actually want it to go this far, but — when I'm fantasizing about it, I imagine you —"

Aiba cuts him off with a grin. "You fantasize about me?"

"Aiba-chan!"

"Sorry, sorry, go ahead."

"As I was _saying_, I imagine you tying me up, and then I break free, but then you do it again, and you make it harder this time, and we keep going back and forth until I can't get free at all, and then you do whatever you want to me. _Whatever_ you want. Make me come a million times, or don't let me come _ever_, just stash me in your closet and pull me out when you want me, or cart me around town in a suitcase — seriously, anything, and all I can do is take it."

At first, Aiba's only reaction is thoughtful silence, during which Nino is certain that his face is turning a magnificent shade of red. He's never been embarrassed to talk about his desires before, but something about the way he's doing it now feels different. They're not items on a checklist — they're part of who he _is_ — and baring that part of himself to Aiba-chan, who means much more to him than some one-night stand he'll never see again, is making him feel like he's going to crawl out of his skin.

When Aiba finally responds, he takes it slow, like he's still figuring the words out as he says them. "So, what you're telling me is... you don't actually want _that_... but you want to be able to pretend that's what's happening. You want that kind of feeling."

"Yeah," Nino says. "Exactly. And I've had some partners who could make it happen, but before you and I hooked up, I kept ending up with guys who couldn't handle it. Like it was too frustrating or too much effort, or they wanted someone who would submit right away, or the whole thing was too scary, or — I don't know. I don't blame them for it, it's pretty intense, but in a perfect world, that's what I want. That's why I went to J, because I knew he could pull it off, but I don't want it to be only a me-and-J thing. I want — that is, if you're interested... I want it to be a me-and-you thing, too." He feels so utterly mortified that all he can do is make a joke out of it: "I mean, since we're dating and all."

Aiba is beaming as he reaches out to grasp Nino's hands. "Nino. It can _totally_ be a me-and-you thing. It sounds fun!"

Despite Nino's nerves, that draws a laugh out of him. How could he not have expected his Aiba-chan to think of something like that as "fun"? He smiles and squeezes Aiba's hands in return, feeling some of the embarrassment fade away. "Yeah, I think so too."

Aiba pulls him into a tight hug, and in the next instant he's pushing Nino down against the mattress, his hands moving to Nino's wrists to pin them in place. He kisses Nino breathless, and when he pulls back, there's a wicked sparkle in his eyes. "Should we start now?"

Nino is about to explain that as tempting as that sounds, he's still pretty worn out from yesterday — but right as he opens his mouth, his phone lights up beside him on the bed.

Aiba holds him down when he tries to roll over to see it, and Nino's dick, as exhausted as it is, betrays him with a twitch of interest. Aiba must notice, but all he says is, "Who's Sakuradon Sho?"

Nino is legitimately confused for a moment until he remembers. "Sakura-_i_, idiot. That's the guy I met at the club that night I went out with J."

"Oooh!" Aiba releases him and motions excitedly towards the phone. "What's it say?"

Nino reaches over his shoulder to grab it and reads the message lying down. As his eyes scan the characters on the screen, he can't help the bewildered and charmed smile that unfolds on his face. "He's asking me out... I think? He's practically talking himself out of it in his own message."

There's that husky giggle again. "Really?"

Nino reads aloud, "Dear Nino-san, I hope this message finds you well. I'm writing to ask if you would like to join me at a play party tomorrow night. I bought the tickets weeks ago, but the person I was originally going with had to cancel at the last minute, and I thought of you. It wouldn't have to be anything serious. We can hang out and enjoy the atmosphere. Of course, more would be welcome, but there are no expectations on my part. Either way, there's no pressure to say yes. If it would cause trouble between you and your friend, or if it's too short notice, or if you simply aren't interested, I'll understand. I just wanted to extend the offer. But, once again, no pressure. Please enjoy the week ahead. Sincerely yours, Sakurai Sho. My god, Aiba-chan, I can't believe the person who wrote this is the same person who told me those stories. I can _hear_ his blood pressure." He glances over to see Aiba's delighted smile. "What do you think? It sounds fun, despite this incredibly high-strung message, but I'll only go if you're cool with it."

Aiba makes a face like Nino asked a seriously dumb question. "Of course you should go! Oh, and if you guys become a thing, you should let me watch." He leans closer and says, with his voice pitched comically low, "As long as we're confessing things, Nino, I should tell you. I _really_ like to watch. If you catch my meaning. To be clear, I mean it in a sexual way."

Nino is laughing, and Aiba's waggling eyebrows tell him that was the intended reaction, but he can also see that Aiba is being honest. Nino thinks to himself that this is a perfect example of what he was contemplating earlier: there are some things you just can't know about a person until it's right out in the open.

He turns back to his phone and asks for Aiba's help composing a reply. Tomorrow's going to be a good day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END.
> 
> Thank you all for coming along on this journey with me, and thank you again to Phrenk for all of your help. <3<3<3<3<3


End file.
